


Fanganronpa: Hotel Despair

by thatoneguy22



Series: Fanganronpa: The Series [2]
Category: Danganronpa
Genre: Fangan Ronpa, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 21:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 65,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10258949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneguy22/pseuds/thatoneguy22
Summary: Another set of students, another deadly game. But things seem to feel familiar...is there something else afoot?





	1. Prologue Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edit: 8/7/17  
> And so, the updating begins! Why am I updating this one instead of the first story? Well...I have plans for that one! But not this one, so simple formatting updates is all it gets!

I stare up at the massive school in front of me. This was Hope’s Peak Academy. A school of hope for the gifted and talented. There was two ways to get into this school. You either had to have a talent, which got referred to as SHSLs. Or, you would pay a hefty fee and take an entrance exam. And me, Zach Johnson, got to attend such an amazing school.

I’m still amazed I got into this school because I’m just so...boring. Everything about me was plain and normal. The clothes I wear. Jeans, tennis shoes, a red long sleeve shirt with a white one under it, and clean brown hair swept to the side. My personality. My interests. There was nothing special about me except for this school. This will be the confidence boost I finally need! I take my first steps into the school’s property.

The minute I passed the threshold of the school, my mind grows fuzzy and I become dizzy. I stumble back to catch myself. But there was nothing there and I collapse onto the ground. I black out entirely.

\-------------

I wake up slowly with a groan. My head was pounding and my thoughts were foggy. The first thing I notice was the endless nothingness around me. I think I was in a black room. Well, I’ll pretty sure it was a room. It was hard to tell. I pull myself to my feet and rub my head. “Ugh...what happened..?” There was a wooden door in the room, the only thing I could actually see. I walk over to it and push it open, walking in.

I enter a normal looking classroom. 15 other students were in here, all looking at me as I entered. “Hey, there’s someone else!” A girl says.

“That makes it 16,” says a boy. I look at the group. Who were these people? Were they my classmates?

“Alright, this is probably everyone,” someone says.

Two kids were trying to get the door open. “God, it’s like someone glued it shut!” One of them says.

“S-So is someone g-going t-to show up?” A boy stammers.

“Yeah, where’s the teacher?” A girl says.

“I’m right here!” A female voice calls out. We all look around. I walk over to the teacher’s desk and peek over it. The voice was from back here.

A pink bunny with wings, a tutu, and a wand leaps out from behind the desk, landing on top of it. I scream and stumble back, crashing into two other students. She does a little spin on the desk. “Is...that a stuffed animal..?” A boy asks.

She nods. “Yes! I’m your huggable, lovable, cuddly teacher!”

“Can’t believe you got scare by a toy!” One of the kids I hit mocks, shoving me off of them.

“This thing is going to be our teacher?” Someone says. “I can't believe this...”

She puffs up her cheeks. She seemed annoyed. “I am not a thing! My name is Magical Girl Miracle ★ Usami. Or for short, Usami. I’ll be your teacher for your hope filled vacation!” She says cheerily.

I frown. Vacation..? “But we haven’t even started classes,” I point out.

“We don’t even know each other...” A girl mumbles softly.

“No need to worry! We’ll all be having nothing but fun soon!” Usami says. She spins around again and waves her wand. It starts to glow. She taps the desk and the room shakes.

“It’s an earthquake!” a girl screeches.

“The rabbit is trying to murder us!” says a boy.

“I’m too gorgeous to die!” another boy wails.

The walls fall away from around us to reveal a sunny, tropical beach and a large hotel that stood over us. It was pure white and looked extravagant and expensive. And it was absolutely massive, going up about four stories and sitting in the shape of a U.

“Wh...What..?” I say softly.

“This is black magic!” A boy shouts.

“Who cares about that? We’ve got a private island vacation all to ourselves!” a girl cheers.

Usami hops off of her desk. “Welcome to Hotel Despurda! A luxurious hotel perfect for making friends and spreading hope!” How was this possible? We are just in a classroom and now...now we were at an island hotel?!

“You will all be here to make friends and get along!” Usami says. “As you spend time with each other, you will get Hope Fragments! Once everyone has collected them all, you get to graduate! There are also some rules.” Something beeps in our pockets and we pull it out. It was an e-Handbook. There were rules.

  1. Extensive/unnecessary use of violence will not be tolerated.
  2. No littering.
  3. Get along and have fun!
  4. More rules may be added if needed



These rules were pretty reasonable at least. Still...I felt uneasy about this whole thing. “Now please, go have fun and get along!” Usami leaves. With nothing else to do, everyone heads off on their own.

I sigh to my self and look around. There were so many questions I had. How did we get here? What was that room I was in? Why are we here? I doubt I’d get any answers easily and Usami probably won’t answer them if I asked.

I stare out into the ocean. It seemed endless. No sign of any other people anywhere. No boats or planes or other islands. It was just us. 16 high schoolers and a stuffed rabbit.

I drag myself out of my own mind by looking back at the hotel we’d be staying at. Guess I should go meet my classmates. I head into the hotel to see who I could talk to.

I walk up the marble steps and look up at the building. It felt imposing so up close. I shake it off as I push open the large, golden doors and step into the foyer.

The foyer seemed to be massive. The carpet was red with gold and silver designs. A huge chandelier hangs above the center of the room. There was a grand staircase in the back that led up to an upper section with two hallways along the walls, the edges protected with wooden banisters. From here, I could clearly see they were suppose to be our rooms. There were a few couches in here for us to relax at. There was also a checkout desk. An envelope slot was in the back of that area. Two boys were there and they seemed to be arguing.

One of the boys was tall. He had shiny black hair and a serious face. He wore a large, tan trench coat that dropped down to his ankles and the sleeves went to his wrists. It looked like he could keep a lot in that thing.

He was arguing with a very short boy. He looked like a kid. His brown hair was messy and unkempt. He wore an old looking brown coat that was a couple sizes too big and a tattered, purple scarf. He also had jeans and tennis shoes that looked old as well. I pull out my handbook, hoping it at least had their names on it. I find their profiles soon.

The shorter boy was Derek Park, the SHSL Thief. He grew up on the streets stealing to eat and survive. He became an expert in all types of stealing, from picking locks and pockets to using smoke bombs and glass cutters.

The other boy was Chris Underwood, the SHSL Con Artist. He grew up with a group of other con men, duping and tricking people for their money and possessions. He has an amazing poker face and is a great liar and cheat.

The odd descriptions of both students was kind of unnerving. Along with that, each profile held basic health information like height and weight and sex. It also had liked and dislikes and favorite food. I don’t really want to know where that kind of information came from.

“You tricked me!” Derek demands angrily, jabbing Chris in the stomach with his finger. Chris was holding a lockpick, probably taken from Derek.

He smirks and slides it into his trench coat. “Not my fault, kid! Can’t trust a con man!” He laughs.

Derek was fuming. He makes a swift movement with his hand. It disappeared into Chris’s coat for a second before he storms off.

Chris frowns and checks his pockets. “Hey, you stole my game! Get back here you little shit!” He chases Derek down into another room. I decide it would be smart to follow them and make sure a fight doesn’t break out.

They disappeared into a room labeled Store. It was one of two rooms to the left of the grand staircase. I walk in and look around, hoping he boys wouldn’t get too out of my sight.

It really was a store. It was surprisingly big but made me think of a small supermarket. There were different foods, tools, games, medical supplies, and everything in between. Shelves filled the space. I didn’t see a place where we could pay for the items, though.

The two boys were fighting nearby over whatever Derek had stolen. I go over and pull them apart.

Chris was holding his belonging, a ball and cup game, the kind that’s played with putting a ball under one of three cups and confusing the player about which one the ball is under, and Derek was holding his, the lockpick. Both looked angry I was splitting them up.

“Hey, who said you could get involved?!” Chris demands angrily. I back up a bit.

“W-Well, no one! But you guys shouldn’t fight! It’s against the rules!” I really didn’t want to get involved in a fight myself, but this was the right thing to do.

Chris frowns and crosses his arms. “Whatever...”

Derek smiles a bit and tugs on my shirt. I look down at him. “Who are you?” he asks me innocently.

I smile. “I’m--”

“Zach Johnson,” he says, cutting me off. I frown and look down at him. He was reading my handbook!

Give that back!” I swipe it out of his hands.

He giggles a bit. “You’re really nice!” he says.

Chris smiles a bit and holds out his hand to me. I wasn’t sure if this was a genuine smile or his poker face. I shake it hesitantly and the two introduce themselves.

Something in my handbook beeps and I look at it. It seems I got one of those Hope Fragments Usami mentioned for the two of them.

They head for the door and soon begin to argue again almost immediately. It looks like Derek stole something from Chris again. I think it was a deck of cards but I couldn't tell from here. Maybe keeping those two apart is an easier solution.

Chris raises his fist, about to punch Derek, when two sewing needles fly out and pin his sleeve to the wall. Then the same happens to Derek before he could run.

A boy walks out from the aisles. Well...I was pretty sure it was a boy. He was wearing jeans, boots, and a dark blue hoodie. The sleeves of it went past his hands, keeping them out of view. I couldn’t see his face, what I assume to be the shadow of the hood hiding it entirely.

He walks over and pulls the sewing needles out of the wall, pocketing them, before grabbing the two boys.

“A-Apologize n-now,” he stutters. There was an odd forcefulness to his voice. Chris and Derek hesitantly mumble something and he lets them go. The two leave the room and he turns to face me. I open up his profile.

This was Craig Pines, the SHSL Seamster. He had his own clothing line that he completely makes by hand. Everything he makes is warm and can last for years. He can make anything from jeans to gloves to hats with no problem. Along with sewing, he knew how to knit, crochet, and embroider.

“Hopefully, th-that d-doesn’t happen ag-g-gain,” he stutters. I guess that was just normal for him. He holds out his hand and I shake it. We introduce ourselves.

“How did you learn to do something like that with the needles?” I ask him.

“Oh, I d-didn’t!” he declares. “I j-just gave it a shot and hoped it d-didn’t poke an eye out.”

That sounded incredibly dangerous! But it did work out in the end, I guess.

“S-So, what’s your t-talent?” he asks me curiously.

I open my mouth to respond but...no words come out. I search my mind for a talent. Or something I was good at. But...nothing. I slowly close my mouth and shrug. Craig tilts his head a little but doesn’t ask me about it.

I felt my face turn a hot red. I couldn’t remember my talent? What was that all about? I should be able to know it, yet I didn’t. I racked my brain for an answer but one never came. I head out before i make a bigger ass of myself.

The next room I decide to enter is labeled as the Gambling Hall and was next to the Store. It didn’t sound very legal but it probably didn’t include real money.

I wasn’t really surprised by what I found inside. Different forms of gambling. From simple card games like poker and blackjack to actual gambling machines. There are two boys in here playing poker and one was winning everything. The prize seems to be candy instead of poker chips and cash.

The boys looked completely identical. The two of them look over as I walk in and smile. The one who was winning had a nice and sweet smile. The other one...well, I didn't like the sarcasm that came with it. Their blonde hair was well kept, but swept to opposite sides. They wore expensive looking clothes, both the same blue button ups shirts with the sleeves rolled up and tan khaki with brown dress shoes. They’re outfits were shockingly plain and cookie cutter, but the fact that they looked like they were designer made me think it was on purpose.

I quickly glance at their profiles. Their names were Bret and Chet Barns. Bret was the SHSL Leader. He had a charismatic and forceful voice that could get most anyone to do anything he wanted. He was even beginning to run his own successful business.

Chet, on the other hand, was the SHSL Luckster. It said he got into the school by lottery and that his luck was amazing for him. There wasn’t much else but that. I wouldn’t know which is which if I wasn’t watching Chet win everything.

“Look, it's a new person!” the winning guy, unassumingly Chet, says. The two get up, still smiling.

“Allow us to introduce ourselves!” they say in unison.

“I’m Bret, the SHSL Leader ,” the one who was losing says.

“And I’m Chet, the SHSL Luckster!” The other says.

“Together, we’re the SHSL Twins!” they say in unison. Was that even a talent or something they made up? This felt rehearsed. I smile and introduce myself.

“So, you wanna do a bit of gambling?” Chet asks. “I don’t do it often, but I’m really good at it!” He smiles wide. He seemed like a nice person. He had a cheery aura about him.

Bret smirks. I didn't like the way it made it seem like he was laughing at me. He was the evil twin for sure. “You’re more than good,” he says to his brother. “You’re lucky. I wish I had luck like yours, Chet. Though leading is pretty cool, too.” Bret looks to me.

I felt a bit skeptical about his leadership abilities. He saw it too it seems because his smirk becomes a grin. He snaps his fingers. “Zach, slap yourself,” he orders.

I roll my eyes. “I’m not going to--” I get cut off as I slap myself across the face. I blink a bit in shock. What...the hell? How was that leading? That was just controlling! Was he a hypnotist or something? I decide that I should leave before he makes me do anything else.

I head to the other room on this floor, the restaurant. It was off to the right of the foyer, opposite the check-in station and near the front door. It was about as well carpeted and decorated as the rest of the hotel. There were a few tables here with some food already laid out. Large windows look out on the beach. There was a kitchen in the back and the smell of baked goods flooded out from the room. I walk into it and look around.

There were three stoves, several cabinets, and a large counter in the center with some sinks on it. There was a large pantry in the back. A heavyset girl wearing a pink chef shirt and pink apron with a curly S in the corner of it was here. She had a small chef’s hat on her head on her red, shoulder length hair. A dress dropped down to her ankles, a part of her uniform. She wore a pink ascot as well. She hums loudly as she pulls a cake out of the oven. “Perfection!” She says. She had a bit of a southern drawl to her voice.

I look down at her profile. This was Stacy Paula, the SHSL Baker. She could make anything from cookies to bread with amazing skill. It’s always delicious and always sweet. She ends up eating a lot of what she makes though. Although her cooking is amazing, it’s not very well known since she lives and bakes in a very small town.

She turns around wearing pink oven mitts. It just added to the sweetness that seems to follow her everywhere. “Oh! Well, hey there, sug~” Her voice was sweet like sugar. She had a wide smile on her face. She seemed like a genuinely kind and cheerful person. We introduce ourselves.

“You mind givn’ me a hand here? Got a bit more than I can carry.” She gestures to the other things she had made. Brownies and cookies. I nod and take the other two trays. I walk out carrying them and set them on a table. She sets down the cake next to them. There was a new girl here.

She was reading from a textbook and chewing on a pen at a table. She had blonde hair that looked wild and messy. She looked really tired, like she was always busy or didn’t sleep enough. She had a worn out blue jacket on over her white shirt dress shirt and brown pants. She wore white slippers, it seems. I look down at her profile.

This was Diana Frued, the SHSL Psychologist. She had spent years studying the human mind and its inner workings. She had made several new ways to detect and help certain mental illnesses. She’s devoted her life to helping people and even does therapy and diagnosing. Although, without her doctorate, she’s left as a psychologist, making her work harder to accomplish.

She looks up at us as we walk out with the food and smiles sleepily. It was kind of nice. It felt calming to see her smile. She was kind of cute, too. I blush at that thought and decide not to think about it again. She closes her book and walks over to us.

“Can I have a slice of cake?” she asks. Her voice was tender and soft.

Stacy grins and nods, cutting off a large slice and putting it on a plate. She hands it to Diana. “Eat up, darlin’! You’re skinny as a twig!” Diana takes the plate and begins to eat her serving, although I questioned her ability to actually finish it.

Two more girls walk in. One had a guitar swung around herself. She had long, straight black hair that fell down her back and over her guitar. She wore an army-style jacket over a yellow shirt with a flower on the chest. Her jeans were a bit too long and torn at the knees. Her combat boots hit the floor with thuds as she walked.

The other girl had long, wavy hair that fell past her shoulder a little. She had a fishnet undershirt over a punk-style over shirt. A heart was cut into it at the top of her chest and a diamond at the stomach on the shirt. Her jeans were torn up worse than the other girl’s and they were clearly done on purpose. One of the pant legs were cut off halfway down the calf. Even her shoes were two different colors, one purple and one pink. She had a pair of thin glasses perched on her nose and braces.  
I look at their profiles.

The one with the guitar was Olivia Tarantella, the SHSL Guitarist. She was a solo artist with several hits, even though she never sang in them. She could play acoustic, electric, bass, and even banjo and ukulele, despite them being different and not popular. If it had strings she could pluck, she could play it.

The other girl was Karen Ester, the SHSL Singer. She also had several hits and had a voice from heaven according to most people. She was capable of singing anywhere from Soprano and Tenor notes. She also had a very loud voice when necessary.

The two girls were chatting right now when they see the snacks. Both of them grab a cookie.

After we all introduce ourselves, Diana asks the two girls if they could show off their talent. Karen looks to Olivia, seemingly distressed, before turning back to us.

“I...guess we can...” Karen says softly. For someone who was suppose to have such a powerful singing voice, she was rather soft spoken.

The two of them get ready. Karen whispers to Olivia and they begin. Karen does not face us while she sings one of her songs, Olivia playing the accompaniment to it.

I knew the song well because it was extremely popular but...Karen has never sung it. It was always this beautiful blonde woman woman. But their voices were exactly the same now that I thought about it.

They finish and Karen turns around and opens her eyes. Her face turns green and she runs over to a trash can, leaning over and vomiting into it. I hesitantly pat her back while she does. Diana passes Karen a glass of water once she was done.

“I-I’m sorry...” Karen says softly. “I just...have really bad stage fright. It makes me sick...” She takes the water and goes to the kitchen to deal with herself. Olivia follows after her.

I decide to go outside and relax on the beach and think about this whole situation we were in. I still couldn't shake that uneasy feeling. All these questions and no answers. And I was worried about what came with that.


	2. Prologue Part II

The beach was nice and warm. The water seemed to stretch on forever and it was just as unsettling to think about as it was the first time. There was a dock on the beach with no boats. Palm trees sprinkled the area and there was even a large changing hut, one door labeled boys and the other labeled girls.

The minute I walked outside, a girl with a studio camera gets in my face with it. She had on a black beanie hat over her blonde hair, which was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a golden jacket and black pants. Headphones were sitting around her neck and she wore fingerless gloves. “And here we have another new face!” she announces, probably for the camera. “Could you please state your name and talent?”

I blink and back up a little so the camera wasn’t in my face. “I’m Zach Johnson...and uh...I can't really remember my talent...” I mumble.

She seems shocked by this. “You don’t remember your talent?! How incredibly weird! Well, I’m Blaire Donahue.”

I give her profile a quick glance. Without any surprise, Blaire was the SHSL Camerawoman. She grew up filming home movies and soon began to work for Hollywood, filming many extremely successful movies and winning awards for her cinematography. She knew how to make every single frame tell it's own story. She'd do a lot just for that perfect shot.

She gets her camera unconformablly close, making me back up. But she finally lowered it to smile. “Well, it really is nice to meet you, Zach. I hope the two of us can get along and make great memories together!”

The two of us shake hands. I wasn’t sure how I felt about being such a center of attention like that. Something to just watch and judge...bleh! I felt sick just thinking about it.

“Hey, I think some of the others inside would like an interview,” I tell her. She seems excited and quickly runs off into the building, readying her camera. I sigh in relief and look around.

There was a group of three nearby. Two boys and a girl. One of the boys and the girl were sitting in the sand near the shore. The other boy was doing something the two seemed to be watching.

The girl was wearing a cheerleading uniform in blue and yellow colors. Her blonde hair was tied in pigtails. Her face was speckled with freckles. Two slip on shoes were on her feet; both white instead of the colors of her uniform. Here was a yellow H on the breast of the shirt. She seemed like a pleasant person at first glance.

The boy sitting next to her had wild dusty blonde hair that fell just past his shoulders. He was barefoot and wore cargo shorts and a red shirt that was opened. He had a white tank top under that at least. He had a pretty annoyed expression and I wondered if he always looked like that.

The two were watching a boy in a purple cape and top hat doing tricks. He had a white dress shirt with a purple vest on, purple pants, and black dress shoes. Must be a costume for his show. I look at their profiles.

The girl was Brittney Summer, the SHSL Cheerleader. She became the best cheer captain in the country. She taught cheers and routines to professional sport team cheerleaders. Her skills were amazing but her age makes it hard for older cheerleaders to take it seriously.

The boy next to her was Leo King, the SHSL Zoologist. After getting lost in the jungle for three years, he had grown to love animals far more than humans. He studied and cared for them. He was like a walking encyclopedia on nearly all species.

The final boy was Ash Specks, the SHSL Magician. He knew hundreds of different tricks. He had his own show where he impressed the audience every night. Many of his tricks are incredibly hard to explain and he was no help in that department.

I look back up at the three. Ash was doing tricks, obviously. With a flip of his cape and a puff of smoke, he held a snow white rabbit in his hands. He holds it out. Leo snatches it up and pets it gently.

For someone who looked so relaxed, Leo seemed to have a permanent frown on his face.

Brittney claps. “That was absolutely amazing, Ash!” she says happily.

Leo looks at her. “You seem to think everyone is amazing so far,” he comments.

Brittney smiles. “Of course, you’re all amazing. I mean, unless you’re a loser. Then I want nothing to do with you.” Her smile stopped looking very kind with the sudden harshness of her words.

Ash frowns a bit and takes back his rabbit. It disappears in another puff of smoke. Leo huffs and gets up, almost walking right into me.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing just creeping here?!” he demands.

“Now that’s what I call a loser,” Brittney says, looking me up and down. “See what I mean?”

Leo rolls his eyes. “No, I don’t. You went bitch mode real fast.”

“Yeah, big deal!” she sneers. She definitely didn’t look nice anymore.

“Everyone, please, no need to fight!” Ash says, walking up to the two and putting his arms around their shoulders. Leo shoved it off and Brittney takes a large step forward.

“Let the handsome man introduce himself,” Ash tells the two. “Then you can bicker.”

I blush a bit. Handsome? “Oh uh...r-right. Zach Johnson! Nice to meet you all!”

The three introduce themselves as well, some happier than others.

“I’m going to find someone more interesting to talk to,” Brittney says. She looks at Ash. “You’re fine, don’t worry.” She walks off. I didn’t feel like following her.

“If you don’t have that rabbit, you don’t have my attention,” Leo says. And he left without any further explanation.

Another girl hurried over after the two left. She was holding a notepad and pen. She had on a brown vest over her tan shirt. She wore some short high heels and black pants. A fedora on her head reminded me of a reporter.

I look at her profile. This was Tess Weathers, the SHSL Reporter. She was broadcast on several news stations and newspapers and had her own website. She always stuck to the undeniable facts and hated opinion pieces. There was never a lie in this things she said, only undeniable truth.

Tess was holding the pen to a small notepad she had and goes right up to Ash. “So Ash, tell me a bit more about some of your tricks,” she says to him. “I was watching from over there and I just have to know.” She points at a tree.

He frowns. “Those are for me to know. Not some nosy reporter trying to get in my business!” he demands.

She looks him up and down. She smiles. “Of course, I apologize for my intrusion,” she says to him.

He seems a bit surprised by that but nods and walks off. She smiles and begins writing. “Sucker...”

She sees me and finishes writing quickly. She flips the page and hurried over. “You!” she says. “I haven’t met you yet! Tell me your name and talent and anything about it!”

I sigh and tell her my name. She looks at me. “And your talent?” She asks. I shrug a bit. She frowns softly and seems to study me for a second before writing again and walking off, muttering to herself. It much of a talker, I guess. And a little too much of a listener.

I spot a boy with a bow and arrow. He had shot one of the palm trees a few times and was readying another bow. I decide to walk over.

He had on a blue baseball cap, turned backwards. A pair of sunglasses hid his eyes. He had a blue jacket on with a black t-shirt. His jeans were normal but his sneakers looked expensive and new. A quiver of arrows was slung over himself. He pulls back the bow he was holding and lets go. The arrow strikes the tree with a thunk.

I check his profile. This was Ace Williams and he was the SHSL Archer. His aim and skill were unbeatable. He always hit exactly what he as aiming for. It says he had some kind of obstacle in his way that made him even better at his archery since he was able to overcome it and still be amazing.

I walk over to him and he turns to face me. He smiles. “Hey there, dude!”

I smile. “Hi. Um...your profile says that there is an ‘obstacle’ you overcome with your archery. Do you mind telling me what it is?” I ask hm. I hoped this wasn't too straightforward, but I would like to have one of my quickly piling questions answered.

He thinks for a moment then grins. “That’s my very special secret! Sorry!”

I nod a little bit, not expecting a different answer. I watch him nock another arrow and fire. Another perfect hit. He grins happily and looks at me again.

“What’s your name?” he asks. I introduce myself to him. “Nice to meet you. Hope we can be pals, Zach! You seem great.” Then he takes out another arrow and looks at me.

He passes it to me with his bow. “Do you want to try? It’s really easy,” he says. I'm sure it was easy for him, but I’ve never fired an arrow. Still, it can’t hurt to try.

I nod hesitantly and take the bow from him. I struggle a bit with setting it up, but manage to get it ready. I put it on the bow and pull back the string. I felt nervous. I close my eyes and fire it.

The arrow whizzes right past the tree and lands in the sand, almost hitting Chris in the foot as he walked past. “Hey, what’s the big deal you jerk?!” He yells out angrily.

My eyes open at the yelling and I immediately felt dread rise up in me.

I quickly pass the bow back to Ace as he storms over. “I-It was an accident!” I say.

He pulls up his sleeve. “I’ll show you an accident!” He swings his fist at me. One punch knocks me out, sending me back into utter darkness.


	3. Prologue Part III

I wake up on the couch in the foyer. My left eye hurt a lot right now and my mind was swimming. I sit up and look around. Ace, Derek, and Chris were here with me. Chris looked pretty beat up and he wouldn’t look at Ace. I think I could guess what happened.

I sit up and the three of them sit down on the couch with me. Derek gently nudges Chris in the side and he sighs. “I’m sorry about punching you. Usami got on my case about it...” Does that mean he actually felt bad about it or was he just being forced to do this?

Derek smiles. “Good job, Chris!” He says cheerfully. Chris sighs softly but then smiles a bit and ruffles Derek’s hair. It seems the two had gotten along with each other since I last saw them. That was better than Derek getting punched. I mean...unless this was a trick on Chris’s part. It was hard to tell when a con man was bieng sincere.

“Anyway, the others are all outside,” Ace says. “Usami is having a little party and everyone is swimming. And I feel like meeting the ladies. Girls love an athlete.” He gets up and heads out so he could join the fun and apparently hit on the girls.

“Let’s go play!” Derek says excitedly. He pulls me to my feet and I walk out with him and Chris although it felt like he was dragging me.

Most of the others were in the water wearing swim suits. The only ones not doing this were Blaire, Brittney, Craig, and the ones I had come outside with. Everything felt very peaceful and calm. The sun was shining and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun, both those in the water and on the beach. 

I watch the others for a bit. Brittney and Blaire were building a sandcastle together. Craig was making a small flag for it. There seemed to be a splash fight going on with Diana, Karen, and Olivia losing to Chet, Bret, and Stacy. Leo and Ash were petting some sea turtles that had come by with Tess chattering with them. I smile watching them all have fun together. Maybe this crazy situation could be fun after all. I guess I was worried for nothing.

Usami was watching the others play and I walk over to her. “Zach!” she says. “You’re awake! That’s great!” She hands me a pair of swim trunks. “Please, put these one and join the fun! There’s more than enough to go around!”

I smile and take them. I turn to go change when the sunny sky is suddenly covered in dark storm clouds.

Everything seemed to freeze in that moment. The splashing stopped, there was no more talking, and the excitement seemed to pitter away. Only an ominous silence was left.

Blaire looks to Usami, aiming her camera at the rabbit. “Hey, what gives? It was sunny just a minute ago!” she says.

Usami seems confused. “I-I don’t know! I didn’t do this!” 

A screen above the hotel entrance flickers to life with a fuzzy silhouette. “Ahem, testing, testing! All students please report to the foyer immediately for a very important announcement,” he says.

Usami looks terrified. “What’s he doing here?! H-He shouldn’t be...I have to do something!” She hurries inside.

The others were getting out of the ocean and changing. Those of us still in our clothes head into the building without them.

We were greeted with the sounds of fighting in the center of the room, Usami was fighting a black and white bear with a glowing red eye. And she was losing. Everything goes up in a cloud of cartoonish dust as the two yell and fight.

As everyone else gets inside, the bear takes her wand and snaps it in half. “No!” Usami cries out. “You’ve destroyed my magic wand!” The bear laughs victoriously.

“What’s with the teddy bear?” Olivia says. The bear turns to all of us, now looking angry.

“I am not a teddy bear!” He demands angrily. “My name is Monokuma! I am the headmaster and new leader of your vacation!”

The new leader? It seems this wasn’t planned, because Usami looked really distressed.

“This c-can’t be g-good..” Craig mutters under his breath.

“Things are going to work a little differently,” Monokuma says. “Your hope filled vacation has now become a despair oozing killing game vacation!” He laughs happily. 

“I won’t let you do it!” Usami demands, getting up.

Monokuma turns to her. “It’s time for you to shut up, little sister! In fact, I think it’s time you got a new look!” He leaps at her and they begin fighting again. Everything goes up in smoke and dust once more, blocking our view of them until it dies away.

Usami now looked like Monokuma. One half of her was pink and the other half was white. Her tutu and wings were gone and she had a red eye, but it was a normal shape instead of the more jagged shape of Monokuma’s. “Wh-What did you do to me?!” She stammers.

Monokuma giggles “I just made you cuter, little sis! You’ll be going by Monomi from now on!” he cheers.

“Who cares about that?!” Bret yells angrily. “What the fuck do you mean by a killing game?” He asks Monokuma.

“I thought we were supposed to be on vacation!” Karen demands. “I was having fun!”

“Just turn the sun back on!” Brittney snaps. “I can’t get myself a glorious tan if a stuffed loser like you messes with the weather!”

Was that really our biggest problem right now?

Monokuma turns and tilts his head. “Hm? Was I not clear? Then let me be more specific!” he says to us.

“You will all murder one another in order to escape this island and get home. I don’t care how you do it, just as long as I see a dead body!” Our e-Handbooks beeps and we pull them out. New rules had been added.

5\. You cannot kill more than two students  
6\. Once a murder has happened, the killer will be labeled ‘blackened’.  
7\. Living students will attend a trial to discover the blackened. Attendance is mandatory.  
8\. If the wrong person is accused, all student will be punished in place of the blackened.  
9\. You may only escape if you successfully get away with murder.

We all look to Monokuma in disbelief and he simply cackles with joy. “I hope you’re ready, kiddies! Cause things are going to become a lot more fun from here on out!” His laughter fills the room, drowning out all rational thought. That was how our hope filled vacation was crushed with despair.


	4. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Daily Life Part I

**Daily Hotel Life - Chapter 1: Memories Of the Past Tormenting the Memories Of the Present**

None of us knew how to respond to this. We were forcibly pushed into a game of life or death. And there was no one around to help. We all end up just...going to our rooms once the bear left. Maybe if we slept, it would turn out this was all just a terrible nightmare.

My room was at the very end of the hall on the right. I push open the door and walk in. My room was completely plain and boring. Great, it was just like me. That’s nice to know...

I had a small dresser next to my bed with a lamp on it. The bed itself was big enough for two people, but there was nothing special about it. The floor was carpeted like everywhere else in the hotel. There was a bathroom in here too with a nice looking shower and fresh towels. I go to the bed and flop down on it, staring at the ceiling. My handbook beeps and I look at it. New rule.

10\. Curfew is at 10:00 pm. Sleeping anywhere but in the bedrooms is strictly prohibited after curfew.

I roll my eyes and put the handbook away. I notice the camera and screen in my room. I begin to realize those had been everywhere. Did that mean whoever was controlling Monomi and Monokuma were watching us? This whole thing was making no sense to me at all. The monitor turns on and an announcement plays.

“This is the Hope’s Peak Academy High School Vacation Committee giving you a very important announcement. It is now 10:00 pm and is officially nighttime. So, sweet dreams and try not to ring up room service during the night.” The video ends. Room service? We didn’t even have phones. I sigh and stare at the ceiling until I drift off to sleep.

\-------------------

I get woken up by another announcement from Monokuma. I didn’t actually listen to it, but it was probably going to play daily for us. I pull myself out of bed and get ready for the day ahead of me.

I head down to the restaurant and get myself some breakfast. Most of the others were here already and were eating quietly.

“So...does anyone want to talk about yesterday?” Diana asks. “Staying quiet about it is not going to help anyone.” She looked even more tired than yesterday. She probably didn’t sleep well.

“There’s no way this shit is real,” Leo says. “We can’t possibly be part of a killing game! That’s stupid!” He slams his first down on the table angrily. He seemed pretty pissed.

“Yeah, I’m not playing some shitty game that a loser like him set up,” Brittney says. “It’s totally lame anyway. Like, why are we expected to do this?” She sighs and twirls one of her pigtails around.

Derek walks in with the twins, looking gloomy. “We found him crying in his room,” Chet says. “He said Monokuma scared him.”

Derek nods a bit, not saying anything. He slides down into a seat and holds himself.

Bret rolls his eyes. “Alright, everyone!” He says loudly. “As the SHSL Leader, I appoint myself as the one in charge of everyone! With me leading you, nothing will go wrong!” He seemed pretty confident about that.

“We’re not going to listen to you,” Chris says. “I don’t feel like doing what some spoiled brat tells me to do,” he says and goes back to eating his breakfast.

Bret looks to him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I upset the street urchin?” He grins maliciously.

Chris looks up at him angrily. “The fuck did you just call me, pretty boy? You ready to lose some of those teeth?!” He stands up, ready to fight him, when an announcement calls for all of us to enter the foyer. We all head out.

Monokuma and Monomi were in here once again. “What do you want now..?” Karen asks meekly.

Monokuma’s grin seems to widen. “I’m so glad you asked! Me and my little sister here are going to do a comedy routine together and--”

“We are not going to stand around and watch you two make bad jokes, Bret interjects. “If this is nothing important, then I’m going to leave.” He turns to walk away.

“If you leave, you’ll never learn about your missing memories!” Monokuma says suddenly.

Bret stops. He turns around. Everyone was paying attention to the bear now. “What missing memories..?” Derek asks softly.

Monomi suddenly looked terrified now. What was wrong with her?

“The ones from your school!” Monokuma says. “Two years worth of wonderful memories. Gone! Eradicated! Erased!” He cheers, almost too happily.

Blaire frowns. “There’s no way that’s possible!” She says as she aims her camera right on the bear. “Besides, I have proof if they were missing! My camera footage is stored and filed in perfect order and no one can get to it without the right passcode! It has to be there!” She shoves her camera into Tess’ arms and runs off to her room to find the footage from our time at school.

\--------------------

Blaire runs into her room and goes over to the dresser. She pulls it open, showing a locked box. She quickly puts in the correct passcode, which only she knew, in the lock and pops it open.

It dated back to a few years ago. She made sure it went everywhere with her and it was here too. She starts going through it. She stops. There was a massive gap in the dates of her footage. It jumped from the day before she entered the school to yesterday.

“No way...” She shuts the drawer and leaves the room.

\--------------------

I watch Blaire walk back out of her room. The look on her face told me exactly what I needed to know. I look back to Monokuma. “I hope you’re all ready to listen!” he says. “Because it really hurts my feelings not to be trusted like this.” Blaire returns downstairs and takes her camera back from Tess.

“I also want to tell you all who took our memories,” he says. “It was none other than...Monomi!” He says to us.

We all look to the rabbit. “N-No..!” She says weakly. “I-I--” Monokuma punches her and she flies away.

“Shut up!” Monokuma snaps.

“I want my memories back!” Leo demands, ignoring the small scuffle between the bear and rabbit.

Monokuma turns back to us. “Oh, you’ll get your memories back. Under one condition. Kill!” The word felt heavy. Like it was crushing my chest and suffocating me. This was his game then.

Monomi gets up and goes over to Monokuma again. “No! You can’t make my students kill for their memories! You can’t!” She demands fearfully. Her innocent act was starting to bug me. Monokuma seems to ignore her and leaves, letting her deal with the rest of us.

“What the hell did you do with our memories?!” Ace yells at her.

She looks at us all, nervous. “Um...well...I...” she leaves quickly. Of course. When we need her the most is when she leaves. She was hiding something from us, but we weren’t going to get answers from her.

With nothing else to do, everyone leaves to do their own thing and try to process all the information we had been given. I decide it would be best to try and get to know everyone better and leave to spend time with someone for now.

I find Diana in the restaurant, back to reading her textbook. Her pen chewing was even more intense than yesterday. She must be really stressed out right now. I sit down next to her and she looks at me. She quickly spits the pen out of her mouth and wipes it off on her shirt.

“Hello, Zach,” she says to me. Even now, her voice had an old calming nature to it. She hums softly. It seemed she had a question for me. “Zach, do you mind if I psychoanalyze you?” she asks me.

That was kind of a weird question, but I guess it was normal for a psychologist to ask. “Sure, I guess you can do that,” I tell her.

She grins. “Wonderful!” I spend some time answering questions with Diana. The two is us grew a little closer today.

She finishes writing something down in a notebook she had from under her textbook. “So,” I ask her, “what’s the prognosis?”

She reads over everything she read, humming softly. She looks up. “You have security issues. You feel like you're less than the others around you and you’re too hard on yourself. You do appear to want to help people though, but you also seem to think you’re not very good at it. I’m sure that’s really conflicting for you. You also have a mild case of abandonment issues.” She closes her notebook as she finishes reading.

I open my mouth to deny all of that but...the more I thought about it, the more accurate it sounded. She was really good. Diana collects her things and stands up. “I enjoyed our talk. I’d love to do it again sometime.” She walks off with her things in her arms. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Diana.

After reeling from the fact I basically got called an insecure loser, I leave to drown away the negative thoughts with a 2-liter of soda. I grab one and start to drink from it when I notice Craig. Had taken a sewing machine and had gone to the corner of the store to use it. I walk over to him. “What are you working on?” I ask him.

He looks up at me. I couldn’t see it, but I knew he was smiling. “Some g-gifts for the other,” he says to me. “W-Would you like t-to help m-me?” He asks. It couldn’t hurt to learn to sew.

I nod. “Sure, that sounds like fun!” I spend time sewing with Craig. The two of us grew a little closer today

He finishes making a jacket and hands it to me. I take it and look it over. It was a navy blue and felt soft and warm. There was an insignia sewn onto the chest. It was three question marks. “S-Since you d-don’t know your t-talent, I had t-to g-get creative with the insig-g-gnia.”

I slide on the jacket. It fit pretty well. “So you went with question marks?” I ask.

He nods and smiles. “Y-You’re the SHSL M-Mystery until you r-remember your t-talent. Then you g-get a new one!” He says happily.

I smile a little bit. I liked the sound of that a lot. “Thanks, Craig!” I tell him. He nods and gets back to work. I head out of the room. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Craig and my talent changed to SHSL Mystery...I won’t question it.

I decide to head to my room and relax for the rest of the day. When I get there, I find my door is unlocked. I quickly push it open and walk in.

Derek was in my room. He was going through my dresser, looking for something. “Hey!” I yell out. He spins around quickly, holding something behind his back. 

“What are you doing in here?” I ask him. I start walking closer.

“N-Nothing!” He says, moving away from me. I grab him before he could run and pull his arm out to see what he had taken. But he hadn’t taken anything.

In his hand was a card that he seems to have written himself. He looks down. “Was a surprise...” he says softly.

I sigh a bit and set the card down on my dresser. “It’s alright, Derek,” I tell him. “But breaking into people’s rooms isn’t the smartest idea, even if your intent was good. Okay?” I ask him.

He nods. I smile and ruffle his hair. “How about we go get some ice cream from the kitchen and hang out?” I offer. That seems to cheer him up because he nods eagerly. The two of us head down. I spend time eating ice cream with Derek. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Did you already break into everyone else’s room?” I ask him.

He nods a little bit. “Are they mad..?” he asks me softly.

I think for a second and shake my head. “I doubt they are. Why did you make them?” I ask him.

He sets his bowl in the sink. “Wanna be friends!” He says cheerfully.

I smile softly and walk over. “Well, I’ll be your friend, Derek,” I tell him.

He gives a happy gasp and hugs me. “Yay! We’re friends!”

I pat his head gently. The nighttime announcement plays and he lets go of me. “Going to bed,” he tells me. I wave to him as he walks out and I soon head out too.

I enter my room and crawl into bed. There was no way someone would kill. There was just no way. I couldn’t believe it. I had hope in the others. I had to. I fall asleep thinking that.


	5. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning. I felt much more well rested than I had yesterday, which I was thankful for. I pull myself out of bed and get ready for the day. I look at the card Derek left me and I smile softly as I head out and go to the restaurant.

Everyone was here today. Stacy was filling a table with baked goods and I got myself a couple bagels. I sit down to eat them. They were extremely delicious, but I wasn’t surprised.

Ace ends up joining Stacy in the kitchen. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but whatever he said made her laugh. I think he was flirting with her, but it was a bit hard to tell from here.

“Do you all think that Monomi really took our memories?” Brittney asks us.

Blaire nods. “Yeah. I have no footage from when I was at the school and only I have the password to get into that box. So it’s a possibility. And from the way Monomi was acting, she’s definitely guilty,” she tells us.

Tess nods in agreement. “I don’t trust that rabbit at all,” she says.

Craig was clearly upset by that. “Well, I t-trust her,” he says to us.

Bret shakes his head and crosses his arms. “We can’t trust that thing. It’s probably working for Monokuma,” he says to us all.

Diana sighs. “How about we put it to a vote?” She says. “Raise your hand if you don't trust Monomi.” She looks around.

Bret, Tess, Blaire, Ace, Chet, and Chris raise their hands. “That’s six of us. That means ten of us trust her. So for now, we will have to,” she says simply.

Those who didn't trust Monomi were very clearly angry. I was mostly surprised Bret didn't start saying anything about it. He seemed like the type to lose it if someone tried to do something that didn't go his way.

Breakfast continues on quietly from there, the subject matter dropped now that things appeared to be settled.  
Once breakfast was over, everyone ends up going off to do their own things, some more begrudgingly than others.

I stay in the restaurant, heading to the kitchen. Ace had left by now but Stacy was still here, humming a happy tune as she cooks up a couple pies. I walk over to her. “Hello, Stacy,” I say. “I see you’re still cooking.”

She looks at me and nods. “Sure am, sug~! Mind keeping little ol’ me some company while these pies bake? I’d be mighty appreciative,” she asks me.

I smile and nod. “Sure, I’d love to!” I spend some time giving company to Stacy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

The oven dings and she takes out her pie. “It’s my mama’s own secret recipe! Guaranteed sweetness in every bite!” She grins wide and starts to cut off a slice.

“Oh, does your mom bake too?” I ask her.

She nods and passes me a plate and fork. “Yup! We run a bakery together. Although...” her smile drops a bit. “We’ve been goin’ under. That’s why I need to graduate from this school! So I can help her make it the success it needs to be!” It seems Stacy’s reasons for coming to this school we're completely reliant on her mother’s happiness. She looks to me. “So what are your parents like?” She asks me.

I frown a little bit. “I...don’t have any parents...” I say softly. “I grew up in an orphanage here in Japan.” My times there weren’t awful. The children were mean but the staff was kind of like my family in a sense. Still, watching kids get picked up while I was stuck there for years...makes you wonder if you’re really worth it. If you deserve to have a family or anyone to love you. I shake those thoughts away. Stacy seemed to be thinking.

“Well, then you’ll just come home with me and work at the shop with us! Mama would love the extra hands and I’m sure she’ll let you sleep in the guest room,” she tells me.

I smile softly. “Thanks for the offer, Stacy. I might just do that.” I head off with my pie. My handbook beeps. I had gained a Hope Fragment for Stacy.

I go outside on the beach to relax in the sun. Bret was out here, building himself a sandcastle to rule over. I walk over to him. “Mind if I help you?” I ask him.

He looks up at me and takes my half-eaten pie. He snaps his fingers. “How about you finish the sand castle, Zach!” he orders. I spend time building Bret a sandcastle. I think the two of us grew a little closer today.

I finish building with a sigh. I had to make two of them before he was satisfied...plus he ate my pie. Bret looks it over, nodding. “Alright, this looks good!” He says.

I stand up. “Why did you make me do that?” I ask him.

He hands the plate to me forcefully. “Because it was grunge work! I found it easier to make you do it then for me to do it. And it was!” He smiles. I don’t like his smile. It felt so sarcastic and mean like he was laughing at me.

“Do you do this to everyone?” I ask him. I brush sand off of my hands.

Bret nods and crosses his arms. “Yeah, I do. At least those my inflection and charisma work on. Including my brother and parents,” he says.

He did this shit to his family too? He really had no boundaries. I decide to leave before he made me to new things. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Bret. Great...

I find Leo in the foyer. He was relaxing on the couch. He had a seagull on his shoulder, its wing wrapped up with a splint. He was holding a turtle and it seemed pretty calm. I walk over to him and he glares up at me. Did I already do something wrong? I sit down next to him. He doesn’t object.

“So what are you doing?” I ask him.

He looks back down at the turtle, tracing his hands along its shell. “Studying the wildlife of this island. It’s about what I expected.” He keeps running his hand along the shell.

I try to touch it too and he smacks my hand away. “Can I touch it?” I ask him this time.

He nods. “Sure, since you asked.” I spend time petting a turtle with Leo. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Leo and I head outside and he sets the turtle down by the water. “It’s kind of cool that was here,” he says to me. “That was a Green Turtle. It appears in the Pacific Ocean. Although, I did see some fish earlier that are more prone to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s kind of weird...I hope they didn’t mess with the ecosystem here for tourism. It’s an extremely delicate thing.”

Leo seems to know a lot about animals, but I wasn’t very surprised since he was a Zoologist. He even seemed really gentle with animals or when talking about them. From what I could see, he wasn’t the nicest to humans.

He gently plucks the seagull off of his shoulder. “I found this little guy after he hit the hotel,” he says. “Poor thing broke his wing. If you see any more hurt animals, let me know.” He heads inside, speaking softly to the hurt bird, seemingly forgetting about me.My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Leo.

It was getting late so I head in too, going up to my room just in time for the nighttime announcement to play.

Derek hadn’t broken in today from what I could see. I get ready for bed and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. There was no way anyone would kill, right? Sure some of the people here were kind of jerks but that didn't mean anything. I think. I eventually falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning and get myself ready for the day. I head down to the restaurant to join the others. I notice Stacy hadn’t put any food out and I peek in the kitchen to see what she was up to. She was talking with Ace. The two of them seemed pretty happy. She had started making something, but he must have interrupted her. I decide to let them chat and take some of the food that was already laying out instead.

I still down with an apple and munch on it. Olivia and Karen walk into the room. They sit down alone and talk with one another. They seemed to be writing music, judging from the stack of papers Karen had. The two of them probably decided to try and make something together while we had time to kill.

I was happy to see everyone getting along. It would be nice if someone would sit down like that with me. I look around some more.

Cher and Bret were with each other, unsurprisingly. Bret seemed to be more focused on Brittney however. That didn't seem to bother Chet, who appeared to be talking to Chris and Derek.

Craig and Diana were eating some breakfast together as well. I think Monomi was hiding under their table. Whatever they were talking about at least kept Diana from reading.

Leo was with Ash. The magician had his rabbit or again. I'm pretty sure that was the only reason Leo was even with the other boy at the moment because he seemed very disinterested in anything Ash said.

Tess and Blaire were getting in Karen and Olivia’s faces for an interview. Olivia seems chill with it but Karen was having a nervous breakdown.

Meanwhile, I was just here...alone...it’s not like I wasn't used to it after all. But I already felt othered not being able to remember my talent. And now everyone seems to be breaking off into groups and leaving me behind.

Stacy hadn't finished cooking by the time the others finished their breakfast and hey began to trickle out of the room.

I finish my breakfast and head off to spend my time with some of the others. Hopefully, I would feel a little better about myself if I tried making more friends. That was probably the issue. I wasn't getting out there enough. That’s what I needed to tell myself.

I find Chet in the store, getting himself some snacks. I walk over to him. “Hey there, Chet!” I greet, forcing a smile.

He looks at me and smiles back. It was a really happy smile. “Hi! Did you want to hang out with me? I’d love some company while Bret does his own thing!”

I was beginning to wonder how often these two were apart. “Sure, I’ll spend time with you,” I say. He seems pretty happy. I spend some time hanging out with Chet. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So Chet, what kind of stuff can your luck even do? Seems like an...arbitrary concept,” I ask him.

He seems to think for a bit. “Well, my luck does lots of stuff. I win the lottery and contests, I get prizes for stuff, I’m really good at a lot of things, and just other general good things happen to me.” He smiles and grabs a bag of chips, popping it open. The bag seemed to be overflowing with chips. It must have been a mistake when making it that they didn't fix.

Chet grins. “Awesome!” He starts eating it. “Oh, I should share this with Bret. He’d be upset if I didn't.” He hurried off with his chips. He doesn’t have to share his food with his brother, I would expect. Was this a normal thing? My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Chet.

I head off to spend my time with someone else, munchkin on a candy bar. I find Chris at the check-in desk in the foyer. He had a deck of cards on him and seemed to be dealing them to no one. Must have been some kind of practice. I walk over to him.

He looks at me and grins. “Wanna play?” he asks me.

“What are we playing..?” I ask him warily.

“Just some Go Fish. Easy, fun game. No worries,” he assures. He was still grinning.

I knew this had to be some kind of trick. His sleazy, shit eating grin told me that. But, against my better judgment, I agree to it. I spend my time playing rigged games with Chris. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Chris’s hand clamps down tightly on my wrist as I end up with another shitty hand. He grins wide. “Guess you’re my bitch for the day!” How did I get stuck agreeing to this again? I could hardly even remember. But I notice something poking out of his trench coat. I grab it quickly.

“You were hiding cards this whole time!” I pull my arm out of his grasp.

He sighs but smiles, swiping the card back. “Guess I couldn’t pull one over on ya the whole time! Damn shame too. That trick usually works. Guess I just went too easy in you!” He laughs a bit and slides his cards back into his trench coat. I just got out of a deal with the SHSL Con Artist. He definitely went easy on me...

“How much stuff do you even have in there?” I ask him.

He stands up and opens the coat. Luckily, he was fully clothed under it. He had many pockets lining the coat. There was stuff poking out here and there. This is probably where he kept his things and the stuff he won from others. A couple of the pockets had wads of cash in them. Others had things like watches and jewelry.

Chris clothes his coat again. “Alright, no more peeking you perv~!” He teases.

I blush darkly. What the hell did he mean by that?! “Sh-Shut up!” Why did I respond like that?!

He laughs. “Sorry man, I had to do that! It was just been too damn funny!” He walks off laughing. I’m not entirely sure what I had been expecting from that encounter. My handbook beeps. I had gained a Hope Fragment for Chris.

I head outside to find Ace practicing his archery once again. He had found a target in the shop and was using that at the moment. Out of his four shots, all of them were bullseyes. I walk over to him but he didn't seem to notice me. I tap his shoulder.

He looks at me and smiles. “Hey there!” he greets.

I smile back. “Hello, Ace,” I say respond.

He grabs my hand and yanks me over. “We’re gonna have another archery lesson. Just be sure no one is around while we do it,” he warns. He passes the bow to me. I spend some time failing at archery with Ace. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I sigh as I collect the arrows and bring them back over. Not a single one actually hit the target...or the tree. “Alright, so we know I’m definitely not the SHSL Athlete,” I joke.

Ace chuckles and sticks the arrows back into their quiver. “Hey, never give up on sports. Plenty of them to try, man.”

“What got you into archery?” I ask him.

He looks at me. “The thrill I guess. There’s something exciting about it. I like to feel like I'm Robin Hood. But it also helps me pick up chicks!” he tells me.

Was that true? I wouldn't think archery was attractive to women, but I guess as long as you’re an athlete, who cares.

“That’s cool,” I say.

He smiles and gets up again. “Speaking of chicks, I gotta go. Snagged a real hot one. Bye!” he says. He heads into the hotel. Was he talking about Stacy? My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Ace.

I spent a while longer outside. It was really calming and nice. The ocean waves, the salty wind, the sun in the sky. I just relaxing in the sand until the sun was setting.

I head to the hotel and planned on going to bed early, but I smelled something from the restaurant and heard voices. I head in. Stacy was probably just fixing some food with the others.

Everyone else was in the room, chatting or eating. It seems Craig had handed out presents as well because I could see wrapping paper everywhere. Lights from the store had been strung up with other decorations. Stacy had made everyone cake, which was now mostly gone, along with two soda bottles that were nearly empty. They were having a party. Was...I not invited?

Tess looks over. “Hey, there he is!” she says. I could feel all eyes on me as she announced my entrance. I shrunk back instinctively.

“What took you so long? Didn’t you get the invite?” she asks me, smiling.

I shake my head a little bit. “No...I didn’t get any invitations...” I murmur. Why did my voice come out that quiet?

She frowns and whispers something to Bret. He whispers back and she scolds him.

Tess turns back to me. “Sorry...we forgot,” she tells me.

They forgot. They forgot about me. My heart was thudding in my chest. I felt myself have to choke back something. It was either tears or words, I wasn't sure. Of course, they forgot. Why would they remember me? I was just a nobody anyway. Useless. Pathetic. Unwanted. “It’s alright...” I say softly to Tess and the others, who were now looking at me with concern. “I was going to bed anyway...” I leave before anyone could say anything else to me and disappear up into my room.

I shut my door. My body quakes with a shiver and a noise comes from me. It was a very choked sob. I swallow it down along with all the negativity and anger and grief. It was just a stupid party. It shouldn't matter so much to me. And it didn't. It’s being forgotten that felt like a stab in the chest. Just another reminder I was totally plain, totally normal, totally forgettable.

I slink over to my bed and kick off my shoes. I just laid there, staring at the ceiling. I didn't even remember falling asleep but I must have because I was out like a light soon.

\------------------

Stacy stood in the kitchen, quiet. It was a couple hour after the party. Everyone had gone to bed, leaving her alone. Tears streamed down her face that she tried to force back. “I’m...so sorry...everyone...” she says softly to herself through the tears. “Please forgive me.”


	7. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in end notes!

I wake up in the morning to the morning announcement after not getting the best sleep. I had been kept awake with my own negative thoughts. “They just forgot,” I say to myself. “Stop making such a big deal out of it.” I get out of bed and get ready for the day. I head down to the restaurant.

Mostly everyone was present. The only one not here was Stacy, but I assumed she was just in the kitchen.

Tess walks over to me. “Hey, I’m really, really sorry about not letting you know about the party,” she says to me. I notice her shoot a glance to Bret. The boy simply smiles and goes back to talking with his brother. It seems the party wasn't her idea.

I smile. It felt a bit forced. “It’s okay, Tess. Thanks for apologizing.” I glance at the kitchen. “Is Stacy awake yet?” I ask her.

She shrugs a little bit. “I was the first one up. Didn’t hear anything. Or smell any cooking. Which...is a bit odd...” she says softly. I nod a bit and head into the kitchen.

When I enter the kitchen, I see Stacy’s feet poking out from behind the counter. I rush over. She needed help, I knew it! “Stacy?!” I got behind the counter and look down at her. I scream loudly and stumble back.

Stacy was laying on the floor. Her left hand was missing entirely. I didn’t have to wonder what had done that. A bloody meat cleaver was buried deep in her head. Her eyes were wide and empty, staring up at the ceiling. There was no denying it, even for a second. Stacy Paula, the SHSL Baker, was dead.

**Killing Hotel Life - Chapter 1: Memories Of the Past Tormenting the Memories Of the Present**

The doors open and the others run in at my scream. I was on the floor, eyes locked on Stacy’s dead body. I couldn’t look away. Someone finally did it. Someone murdered and their victim was Stacy.

Karen was the first one to get to me. She tries to help me back to my feet. And then she notices Stacy. She shrieks and lets go of me, putting her hands over her mouth and backing into the wall.

Soon, screams and curses were rising up from all of us as we realize what had happened. Then an announcement plays with Monokuma on the screen. “A body has been discovered! When three or more people find a body, this announcement will play. After a certain amount of time, which you can use however you like, the class trial will begin!” And the announcement ends.

Several of the others quickly leave the room, not wanting to spend time with the body any longer. The rest of us were in shocked silence. I slowly pull myself back up to my feet. Class trial. The rules. I remember, we were going to have a trial. We had to find the one who did this. So...the logical thing to do would be to find evidence. I had to do this. I had to help Stacy in any way I can...even if I can't save her...

Once the others begin to calm down, Tess and Blaire begin to interrogate everyone. They leave the kitchen to start with those who couldn't stay behind. I look over at Ace, who was still in the room. His cheeks were stained with tears and he was holding onto Stacy’s hand tightly. The poor guy...I want to comfort him but I didn't have time for that.

I hesitantly go over to the body. There was no better place to start. I kneel down next to her. “Stacy...I’d have loved to come work at your baker. I’m sorry...we couldn’t get out together,” I say softly. I dry my eyes a little and begin to look her over.

The obvious stuff was the missing hand and meat cleaver in her head. I saw her other oven mitt not too far away. I wasn’t going to check it for a hand. After some closer inspection, I notice there was a very thin bruise around Stacy’s neck. And her eyes were a bit bloodshot. That was odd...

I move away from the body now, not wanting to spend more time than I have to near it. I notice that the small trashcan in the corner of the room had one thing in it and I pull it out. It was a crumpled up piece of paper. I smooth it out and read it. “I’m sorry for what I did. Please forgive me,” I read out loud. Was this written by the killer? Or was it someone else?

I set the note down and notice the pantry door was cracked open. I walk over and open the door. The wall went pretty far back. Food and ingredients of all kinds filled the shelves. And even some other stuff, I notice. There was a box of rat poison sitting on a shelf in the back. It was opened and there was something sticking out of it. I grab the box and open it all the way, pulling out whatever was inside. It was a long string. A sturdy one too. It looks like the ends had been cut through. Someone had also used the rat poison because a large amount was missing from the box itself.

I walk back out of the pantry only to get a camera to my face. Blaire and Tess stood in my way. The two girls looked really intense right now. “I want to know everything that happened between the time you left the party to when you joined us for breakfast,” Tess says.

I look between her and Blaire. Guess there was no good cop out in this. “I was asleep,” I say. “That’s it.”

Tess seems to study me. She nods. “Right, let’s go, Blaire.” The two walk off.

I sigh softly. I notice Chris was pulling some stuff out of a cupboard and I walk over. He had taken out some dirty dishes. It looks like there was dough stuck on them. But they were also wet, like someone tried to wash them.

The cupboard Chris had pulled them out of was full of cups. There's no reason for those dirty dishes to be in there unless someone was trying to hide them. There was also some splatters of dough around the sink. Someone tried to get rid of it.

I head out of the kitchen and into the dining area. Karen, Brittney, Derek, Chet, and Olivia were sitting out here. They probably couldn’t handle being in the room with the body.

Chet had an arm wrapped gently around Derek. Olivia was trying to keep a crying Karen calmed down. Brittney sat away from them, her arms wrapped around herself

An announcement plays. “Alright everyone, investigation over! Report to the elevator to the right of the staircase for the trial!” Everyone heads to there.

Just as Monokuma says, there was a large elevator on the right side of the grand staircase. Everyone fit into it too. It begins to move down on its own without anyone pressing any buttons.

This was really happening. Someone was dead and we were going to have to hold a trial. We needed to find the killer and bring them to justice. If we don’t...we’ll all fail Stacy. She needs to be avenged. The elevator stops and the doors slide open. It was time for the first class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head gore


	8. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Killing Life Trial Part I

We all walk into the trial room. The room was in loud, colorful pastels. A carpet made of reds and oranges and yellows gave it a warm glow. Meanwhile, the walls went against that feeling with cool blues and greens and purples. Staring at them was a little painful. There were sixteen podiums. In one podium was a picture of Stacy on a small stand, her face crossed out. There was a golden throne in the back with Monokuma sitting on it. Monomi dangled from the ceiling by a rope. I wasn’t about to question their weird fetishes.

Everyone takes their spots in the podiums. Ace seemed to take a moment to get to his. “So um...how does this work?” Olivia asks.

Monokuma sits up. “I’ll explain the rules!” He says giddily. “You will all debate amongst each other over who you believe the killer is. You will vote once you are ready. If you are right, the killer will be punished and the rest of you may return to your peaceful hotel lives. But if you’re wrong, the killer is set free and all of you get punished in their place!” The way he talked about this was unnerving. It was so calm and pleased.

“What’s the punishment..?” Derek asks softly.

Monokuma looks to him, his red eye gleaming. Derek shrinks back a little. “It’s execution!” He says with excitement.

Derek whimpers a little, tugging on his scarf nervously. “Please do not be afraid!” Monomi calls out. “I have hope in all of you!”

“So...I think it would be best to begin...” Diana says softly once the initial shock settled. Everyone either nods or mumbles their agreement.

“I want to start with those dishes I found,” Chris says. “Someone did a shit job if cleaning them. There was still dough in them though and they had been shoved into the wrong place. Plus there was dough in the sink,” he explains to everyone.

“Maybe she was just cooking and...messed up,” Brittney says.

I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s it. They were hidden away in the wrong cupboard and were poorly cleaned. I think the killer did it,” I say.

Olivia looks at me. “And why would the killer do something like that?”

I try to think. Why would the killer dump the dough? They would have nothing to gain from doing that. Unless...

“What...What if it was poisoned?” I say.

Everyone seems a little shocked. “Poisoned?!” Chet says. “How do you know that?!”

I sigh softly. “Because...I found a box of rat poison in the pantry. And someone had opened it and used some. I think...that it was Stacy. I think she was going to poison someone,” I say.

“She would never do that!” Ace demands angrily. “That’s not who Stacy was! She wouldn’t hurt a fly! You’ve mad a mistake!” His sudden outburst caught me by surprise. But I could also understand where it was coming from. He had clearly liked her. So hearing that she was planning to hurt someone made his reaction make sense.

”Ace, I’m sorry, but that has to be the answer,” I say

”No, it can’t be!” Ace yells. “I won’t let it be! There has to be another reason!”

I knew I couldn’t let this go on. If he kept shooting things like this down, it could become a danger for us all. I had to stop him here.

”I know that’s not what happened!

”You got the wrong answer!

”Think of something else!”

“Ace, it doesn’t work like that. This has to be the truth, I know it,” I say.

”Well you didn’t know Stacy!”

”She wouldn’t do something like that!

”The poison wasn’t even used!”

And just like that, there it was. A flaw in his theory. A way to end this fast. “Let me cut through those words!” I shout.

Ace tenses up a little bit. “What are you talking about?”

”The rat poison was not only opened, but there was a decent amount missing,” I say. “There’s nowhere else I could think of it to go besides in whatever Stacy was making. So she had to have used it!” 

“But...if she died, then the killer planned on killing anyway, right?” Blaire says soon. “So...why ditch the poisoned dough?”

I try to think for a minute. “I’m not sure,” I say. “Let’s talk about something else and see if it can make sense later.” The others seemed to agree.

“I want to talk about the body,” Bret demands. “Specifically, how she died.”

Tess frowns and flips through her notes. “The way she died is obvious,” she says. “She took a knife to the head. You don’t survive that.” She closes her notepad and crosses her arms.

That didn’t sound right though. “But what if that isn’t how she died?” I say.

Tess looks at me, a little insulted. “Okay, smart guy. You tell me how she died!” She seemed to be really offended I said she was wrong.

“There was a bruise around her neck,” I say. “It was thin and long. And her eyes were bloodshot.”

Tess shuffles a bit in her place. “Oh...” Seems she accepted she was wrong.

Derek frowns. “She was strangled?” He asks.

Olivia looks down at him. “Why do you know that she was?” she asks him.

He looks down a bit. “No reason...” he mumbles.

A kid shouldn’t know about that kind of stuff,” Leo says.

Derek looks up, now clearly annoyed. “I-I’m sixteen!” He shouts angrily.

Leo looks down at him skeptically. “Sure you are, kiddo,” he says sarcastically. He ruffles Derek’s hair. I sigh. This wasn’t important to the case.

“So what was used to kill her?” Ash asks. “Did you even find a weapon, darling?” He seemed pretty skeptical too.

But I nod. “Inside the box of rat poison was a string. A long, sturdy string. Something was definitely used to kill her,” I say.

Karen frowns. “So...that would mean that we have two suspects,” she says. “Olivia and...Ace. Right?”

Olivia looks at her. She looked...extremely hurt. Like Karen just stabbed her.

“How could you say that, Karen?!” the guitarist demands. “You know I would never do something like that!”

Karen flinches a bit and looks down at her feet. She seemed to be about ready to speak when Bret steps in.

“Don't give me that kind of crap,” the meaner of the twins demands. “It's been what? Four days? We hardly know each other. You can't be so confident that someone you’ve known for a few days isn't a killer!”

Ace scowls. “Hey, that's not true!” he snaps.

Bret scowls. “You’re just saying that because you’re the other suspect. You could have killed her too.”

Ace shakes his head. “There’s no way! I would never do that! I can’t do that! I loved Stacy! It had to be Olivia!”

“D-D-Declaring your l-love in just a few d-days of kn-knowing her is a little o-odd,” Craig points out.

“Yeah, but love is weird,” Chris adds. And we know Olivia didn't have nearly as close of a connection.”

Olivia shakes her head quickly. “No way, man! I didn’t!” She demands.

Ace scoffs. “Well, it can’t be me. I would never hurt her,” he says.

I frown a little. This was a back and forth going nowhere. Yet while I watched it happen...pieces started connecting in my head. Things went together and it made sense. And slowly, the realization struck me. And then...I knew the identity of the killer! It was..!


	9. Chapter 1: Memories of the Past Tormenting the Memories of the Present - Killing Life Trial Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

“That's not exactly evidence that proves your innocence," I declare.

Ace look at me and scowls. “Are you trying to say I did it?” he snaps.

I shake my head. “I’m saying it’s a possibility!” I retort.

Ace stares at me, scowling. “Fine...I’m showing you all why I couldn't have possibly have done it,” he says softly. He reaches up and takes off his sunglasses.

Ace’s eyes were a milky white. They seemed to just stare past everything because the couldn't see anything. Ace was completely blind. Everyone gasps, genuinely shocked by this. He puts his glasses back in and crosses his arms. “There’s no way I could have seen the rat poison,” he says.

“Ace, I thought you didn't believe in that there was rat poison,” I say.

He frowns a little. “Well...I decided I wasn't helping anyone by denying it. Alright?” he says. “And if you guys found the murder weapons in it then it had to play a pet somewhere.”

“Look, it has to be Olivia!” Bret says. “Ace couldn't have possibly written that note in the kitchen!”

Olivia shakes her head quickly. “I keep telling you it isn't me! Karen, please say something to them!” she says in a panic.

Karen doesn't meet her eyes. “I...I don't know what to think...” she says softly.

Olivia frowns. “Oh...I see how it is then...” she says softly.

“Wh-What if the k-killer didn't writ-t-te the note,” Craig suggests.

“What? That’s stupid. It was clearly an apology for the murder!” Leo says.

“Maybe it wasn’t...” Derek murmurs.

“If Stacy wrote it, then that means Ace didn't. So he could still be our killer,” Diana says.

Brittney scowls. “Ugh, you losers keep going in circles. Just pick someone already!” she demands. “Here, I’ll help! Why would Ace leave the string of his bow at the crime scene?”

I think for a moment.

_Why would the string be there in the first place?_

Someone cut it free.

_Where did it come from?_

Ace’s bow or Olivia’s guitar.

_Who would cut the string?_

Olivia could have cut her own string...but Ace wouldn't be able to.

_So why would the string be left behind?_

Because...the murder wasn't planned...

“I’ve got it!” I declare suddenly. “The string was left behind because the killer was in a panic! Because the murder was never planned from the start!”

“Well we already kind of decided that...” Brittney says, twirling a pigtail. “Care to explain why that's important?”

“It would mean the string had to be cut off by someone other than the killer. Olivia would have been able to cut the string herself if she wanted to kill. Ace wouldn't be able to do that as easily and he certainly wouldn't plan it. But if the murder wasn't planned, neither was the string coming off, so that means it was a rushed decision forced by Stacy,” I explain to everyone.

“Doesn't that mean either of them still could have done it? That doesn't narrow anything down!” Chris groans.

“Ace, show me your bow! Olivia, show me your guitar!” I demand.

Ace looks at me and scowls. “I...ugh, fine.” The bow is passed to me.

“Man, this bites...” Olivia grumbles angrily. Her guitar is sent to me and I inspect both. The guitar was fine, but the bow wasn't.

“Ace, what are these two deep grooves? They weren't here the last time I used your bow,” I say. He takes his bow back and Olivia gets her guitar.

“They were there the first time!” Ace demands. “I don't know what world you’re living in, but they've always existed!”

I knew that was a lie. I've used that now twice now and they never existed here before. Why was he lying?

“Ace, that isn't true. They weren't there either time I used them,” I say.

“Are you saying I'm a liar?! Are you saying I did it?!” Ace says angrily, his voice starting to rise.

“No! That isn't what I'm saying at all!” I retort.

“That’s fucking rich! Pick on the blind kid! Haven't been through that one before!” he yells.

This was getting out of hand. I couldn't let him keep this up. I had to stop this here.

“Ace, the grooves--”

_“You’re blind to the truth!”_

“--weren't there before--”

_“Don’t try to frame me, asshole!”_

“--so they must have happened--”

_“This is a joke and you know it!”_

“--the night of the crime!” I yell out through his lies.

“You can't prove that!” Ace yells. “And even if you did, I don't see the evidence! But do you want something that really points away from me?! Try that note you found! I could never have written that! The note the killer wrote isn't mine!”

This was it. The moment of truth! “No, you’ve got it wrong!” I cry out loudly.

Ace seems shocked. “Wh-What?! What do you mean that's wrong?!”

“The killer never wrote that note!” I shout. “The note was written by Stacy! That's why it was thrown away!”

Ace was silent after that. But that didn't stop the talking.

”Being blind, he wouldn't have known if those dishes were clean,” Ash says.

“And smelled poison,” Derek adds.

I nod. “I think we should go over everything and see if we missed something,” I say.

“Let’s go over the case one final time,” I declare.

“Late last night, the killer went into the kitchen. They heard Stacy was there and went to talk with her. But then they smelled the poison. The two of you probably started arguing about it and she attacked them in a blind panic with the meat cleaver. They used the bow to defend themselves in a panic and she cut the string off in her attacks. They took the string and got behind her, using it to strangle her. They probably didn’t mean to actually kill her but they did anyway. And they panicked. They used the cleaver to stage a different murder and hide her cause of death. But they didn’t want people to find out what she was going to do. They hide the string in the rat poison and put it away. Then they tried to get rid of the dough and clean the dishes, but they couldn’t tell if it was all gone or where they went. So they put them in the wrong place, still dirty. With the crime scene as altered as the killer could make it, they ran off to their room,” I explain. “Is that about right, Ace?!”

I stare at Ace. His shoulders shook a bit and I could see tears slide down his cheeks. I sigh softly.

“The one thing I don’t understand still...is the note I found in the trash can. We know Stacy wrote it, but why did you throw it away?” I say.

Ace hung his head. “Like you said I...I didn't write it...” he says softly. “She did...I found it while I was cleaning the dishes up. I...I knew what it was. I knew what it had to be. So I threw it away.”

This was it. This was the confession. He starts to cry harder. “It wasn’t her anymore...” he continues. “It wasn’t the sweet, kind girl I met. She was someone else and she tried to kill me. But...But I didn’t want to kill her! And I didn't want you all to know what she did! I wanted you all to remember her for who she was!”

Monokuma yawns. “Sounds like you kids are about done!” He says. “Time to vote! Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?” He giggles excitedly. Everyone votes for Ace.

“That’s right!” He says happily. “Ace Williams, the SHSL Archer, is the killer! And I have a very special punishment set up for him!”

Ace looks up at Monokuma. “N-No!” He demands. “Don’t do it! Please! At least give me my memories back!”

He pulls out a hammer. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! IT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down on a button in front of him.

A chain shoots out from doors in the back of the room. A metal clamp shuts around Ace’s neck. He puts his hands on it to pull it away. It reels back, dragging him away screaming. A screen drops down from the ceiling after he disappears and plays a video.

**Ace Williams has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Ace was strapped to a target. Metal clamps were around his wrists, ankles, and forehead, keeping him in place. An apple sat on his head and he struggles weakly, fear hidden behind his sunglasses.

Naturally, Ace wasn’t able to see anything that was happening. But he could hear a sound. It was the sound of a string slowly being drawn back. And then there’s a click. Something hits the space next to his right shoulder with a heavy _THUNK_

Monokuma was blindfolded and held a crossbow. He peeks out from under it to see what he hit. Then he puts it back on and loads the crossbow again. He takes aim once more.

**Williams Tell**

Ace starts to panic as he realizes what was happening. His breath quickens and his struggling gets more intense. Monokuma fires at the crossbow again. The arrow flies toward him and strikes next to his stomach. It scraped his skin and caused a bit of bleeding. He cries out in pain.

Monokuma loads and fires again. Ace screams and starts to struggle harder, attempting to get away before he’s actually hit. The arrow strikes in between his legs.

He begins to panic more, screaming for Monokuma to stop and free him. Monokuma fires again. This time, his hand is hit. Ace screams loudly in pain and his struggles pause. Blood dribbles down behind his hand after being struck.

Another shot is fired by Monokuma and Ace’s leg is struck. Blood drips down the sign slowly and the apple on his head rocks back and forth as his struggles start up again with intensity.

Another shot is sent flying. The arrow pierces his throat his time. His eyes widen behind his glasses and blood begins to gush out from the puncture. He gasps and squirms weakly, his sunglasses falling off of his face and clattering to the ground.

Blood dribbles out of his mouth as he begins to weaken. His milky white eyes begin to drift closed. He goes still and quiet. The apple rolls off his head. An arrow flies out and strikes it, pinning it to his chest. 

We all watch it in stunned silence. And then Derek screams. “I want out!” He yells. “Let me out!”

“Th-This is totally lame...” Brittney says softly.

“Are we all going to die?!” Chet asks in a panic.

“He can't get away with this!” Chris says. “There’s no way!”

Everyone else was in a stunned silence, including myself. What I just witnessed...that was horrific...it was inhuman...it was pure evil.

Leo turns to Monokuma angrily. “Why the fuck didn’t you give him his memories?!” He shouts. “He had the right! You said we would get them back if we started killing!” He points an accusing finger at Monokuma.

The bear tilts his head. “Oh? But...I never said WHEN you would get them back, did I? So...you’ll just have to wait longer!” He giggles into his paws.

Diana goes to Derek and tries to calm him down. Everyone leaves the area without another word and got into the elevator.

It gets back to the hotel and we disappear into our respective rooms. I get in bed and fall asleep, having nightmares throughout the night.

**Chapter 1: Memories Of the Past Tormenting the Memories Of the Present - Completed!**

Zach, Chet, Bret, Diana, ~~Ace~~ , Ash, Derek, Leo, Tess, Chris, Brittney, Olivia, Karen, Blaire, Craig, ~~Stacy~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neck gore


	10. Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Daily Life Part I

**Daily Hotel Life - Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All**

I wake up in the morning with a gasp. I was sweating. My heart was pounding in my chest. Just a nightmare. I sigh softly and climb out of bed. I shower first and then get ready for the day, heading off to the restaurant.

Everyone was quiet today. The usual smell of food and spread of baked good was now absent and would be forever. I notice Karen and Olivia weren’t sitting with one another today. Olivia must be really hurt by Karen’s accusation of her.

Derek was sitting with Chris, leaning against him. I would have to check on him later today. He had taken it pretty badly last night.

I get myself breakfast but I only pick at it. That’s what most of the others were doing. Picking at their breakfast if they had gotten any at all.

“So are we all going to ignore what happened yesterday?” Diana finally says.

“Yes...” Derek murmurs softly, holding tightly onto the sleeve of Chris’s coat.

“I-I don't kn-know if that’s health-th-thy,” Craig stutters.

“Those losers got what they deserved...” Brittney says softly, jabbing some pancakes with a fork. “Stacy tried to kill us and Ace killed Stacy. I don't feel bad for them.”

“H-How can you say something like that about your f-friends?!” Karen squeaks.

Brittney shoots her a glare. “I don't think I ever said I was friends with those losers.”

“I-I don't want to die,” Chet says from his seat.

“No one would kill someone as adorable as you, darling~!” Ash assures, a smile on his face

“Do you have to talk to everyone like that?” Leo growls softly.

“Of course, handsome~!” Ash replies slyly.

More soft chatter was beginning to break out. That’s when Monomi showed up.

“Everyone, I have great news!” She says cheerily. Some of us look at her. Others don't acknowledge her.

“Get the hell out,” Bret says. “No one wants you here you useless piece of shit!” He snaps suddenly and Chet had to try and calm him down.

Monomi sniffles. “Everyone is always so mean to me!” she says sadly. “I just wanted to say I got the second floor accessible...” she disappears after that. I get up. I had nothing else to do, so I might as well go check out this new area.

I head to the elevator and get on. A few of the others join me and I press the now lit up button for the second floor. The elevator takes us there shortly and the doors open up.

This new floor had a much different feeling than that of the foyer. The floors were entirely made of marble. There were decorative columns along the walls and the occasional vase on a pedestal. There were a few doors up here. The doors directly across the elevator were labeled library. I walk into them.

The doors were wooden and heavy. They had a keyhole on them. The key, I notice, was sitting on a set of key hooks next to the door inside. I look around the room.

There were several long tables sitting in the room. Massive shelves lined the walls and were lined up around the room. If one of those were knocked over, it might cause a domino effect. I wasn’t going to test that theory though. Each table had a lamp on it. There wasn’t much else to this room, so I leave to look around more.

Down the hall on the left was a room labeled museum. When I walk in, I see lots of different artifacts. Thing is...they were from all over the world. There were gold coins from the Netherlands, an old musket from America, a samurai warrior suit from Japan, and other such artifacts. Most were locked up in cases and they all had labels for where and when they were found. But for whatever reason, the information on them was all wrong. I mean, I don’t think those gold coins are fossilized chocolate wrapped in a protective golden foil. Why have these things if the information was going to be unreliable? I leave the room.

There was a room to the right of the library labeled as ballroom. Grand doors marked its entrance. I walk into it. More pillars were at the edges of either side of the rooms. I notice that...this room was pretty empty. Massive windows overlook the ocean. There was nothing else in here. This place was probably only used for special occasions. I head out.

There were two bedrooms on either end of the hall labeled Room 201 and Room 202. They were exactly identical. A king-sized bed with velvety sheets and soft pillows. Pictures decorate the walls and there were flatscreen TVs. When I turned one on, it was just a loop of Monokuma punching Monomi. I didn’t want to ask when that got made and turned it off. The bathroom was nice too. It was spacious and looked really clean.

Now that I was done checking out the new floor, I decide to go spend my time with someone to relax and take my mind off of the trial yesterday. I end up finding Brittney on the beach. She was laying on a towel and sunbathing, a pair of sunglasses on her face. I go over and sit next to her in the sand. She looks toward me and pushes her sunglasses down a little. She looks me up and down before pushing her sunglasses back up and looking away go. “Go away. I don’t spend my time with losers like you,” she says harshly.

Wow...that was a real stab to my heart. “Brittney...we’re all stuck in this situation together,” I say. “So we might as well try to get along and be friends. And...please don’t call me a loser...” I added the last part quietly. I doubt she even heard that.

She sighs softly. “Fine, whatever! I guess you can hang out with me for a while...” I spend some time relaxing on the beach with Brittney. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey, is it true that you teach professional cheer squads?” I ask her eventually.

She smiles a bit. “Yeah, I do. I teach stupid loser bimbos that can’t tell the difference between a flip and the splits. I can make the best cheer routines but they won’t listen to me because I’m just a teen. Then when they fuck up in front of everyone, they come crawling back begging for my assistance. And they’re damned lucky I give it to them. Losers really piss me off and they’re the worst kind. Never listen until they absolutely have to. And they still talk down to me! I get so furious just thinking about it!” She sits up now.

I look at her. “Well...maybe you shouldn’t think about it,” I tell her.

She frowns and stands up, grabbing the towel. “Don’t tell me what to do, loser!” She storms off. She really had a temper. I sigh softly and leave as well.

I find Derek up in the museum. He was cutting into one of the display cases. The one with the coins. Who gave him a glass cutter?! I walk over to him and he looks at me. He quickly turns around and hides the glass cutter behind his back. “Nothing!” He says quickly.

I frown. “I didn’t ask you anything yet...” I tell him.

He straightens up a bit. “D-Don’t tell!” he says.

I sigh softly and he goes back to cutting the glasses. He finishes and snags the coins, putting them into his pocket. “No one would be surprised by this,” I tell him. “So it doesn’t matter if the others know. They’ll already suspect you.”

Derek pouts and puts the glass cutter into his pocket too. “Anyway...let’s hang!” He says happily, quickly changing the subject. He pulls out a lockpick. “I’ll teach you!” I spend time learning out to pick locks with Derek. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I finally get the library door open with the spare lockpick Derek gave me. He was smiling on the other side, holding the key. “You did it!” He puts the key back where it belongs.

“How did you ever learn to do this kind of stuff?” I ask him. Derek frowns a little bit. “I...had to,” he says. He sounded a little...off.

“Why did you have to?” I ask him, deciding to press on. “Lived on streets...” he mumbles softly. He tugs on his scarf a little. “All alone...” he adds soon.

All alone? Did he not have parents? What kind of life has Derek been living? He’s so...cheery and kind. I couldn’t imagine him living alone on the streets and still be like this.

“I’m gonna go,” he says to me. He gives a smile. But...was it a real smile? He heads out of the room. My handbook beeps. I had gained a Hope Fragment for Derek.

\------------------

Derek walks out into the hall. He felt a sense of dread building up inside of himself. Why did Zach have to bring up his past? He didn’t like thinking about it. In the midst of his thoughts, he bumps into Chris and Chet. He looks up at the two and smiles. “Hi!” He says cheerily.

Chris smiles and ruffles Derek’s hair. “Hey there, little buddy.” Derek looks at Chet. He had been hanging around Chris more often.

Right now, Chris had his arm wrapped around Chet’s shoulder. He’s pretty sure that meant something, but Chris would probably tell him if it did. Besides, Chet seemed nice enough. Nicer than his brother, anyway. And that was enough for him.

Speak of the devil! Bret walks over and grabs his brother, pulling him away from Chris. “What do you think you’re doing?” Bret says to Chet. “I told you to stay away from the street urchins. They’re probably filthy!”

Chet frowns and looks away. “I-I’m sorry, Bret...” he says softly.

Chris scowls. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” He demands angrily, getting in Bret’s face. “You can't tell your brother what to do like that! He’s not some slave! He has his own feelings!” He looked ready to punch Bret. Derek knew the rules about violence and has to hold back to taller boy’s arms.

Bret raises his hands and snaps his fingers. “Derek, Chris, get out!” He orders. And before they knew it, the two of them had walked into the museum. Chris blinks and looks around. “Fuck! I hate it when he pulls that shit!” He grabs Derek, a bit rougher than he meant to, and walks off with him. By then, the twins had already left the hall.

\------------------

I was in the store by now, getting myself a candy bar. I find Ash feeding his rabbit some lettuce. I walk over to him. “Hey there,” I say.

He looks at me and smiles wide. “Hi! Hey, I’ve been wanting to test out a few tricks. Do you mind watching? I love having beautiful audiences!” He asks me.

Watching a nationwide loved magician try out some new tricks? No way could I pass that up! I grin and nod. I spend some time watching acts performed by Ash. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He finishes it up by disappearing in a plume of smoke. I turn to leave and practically run right into him. He smiles and holds out his wand, a flower sticking out of it. “Here you go, handsome,” he says to me. “For being such a wonderful audience member!” He grins.

I...had no idea where the sudden change was coming from. Still, the gesture was nice and I didn’t want to upset him. So I take the flower. I was not going to acknowledge his first remark though.

“So why do you do magic anyway?” I ask him.

Ash grins. “Why, to make people smile of course! Nothing better than leaving the audience grinning! Everyone has beautiful smiles, and you just have to try and bring them out. I find entertainment is a great way to do that. Besides, magic is fun and mysterious. Everyone loves a mystery, no?” He was still grinning. He...didn’t do this to get dates, did he?

He takes off his hat and rummages around in it. He pulls out a card and hands it to me. “Here, keep this. I give cards to all those I take...interest in.” He puts his hat back on his head and walks off. He definitely did this for dates. I look down at the card. It was the King of Spades. I sigh and slide it into my pocket. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Ash.

It was getting late, so I head up to my room. I get ready for bed and lay down. There was a lot to think about today. The trial, the new rooms, the future. I had no idea what was in store for me or anyone else for that matter. I just hoped it wasn't too gruesome. I yawn and slowly fall into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning and pull myself out of bed. I get ready for the day like usual and head down to the restaurant to eat breakfast with the others. I was actually hungry today at least.

Everyone seemed to be doing a little better today. Everyone had a plate of food in front of them. The mood seemed...lighter than yesterday. Karen and Olivia still weren’t on speaking terms though because they weren’t sitting with one another again. I get my food and sit down, eating it calmly.

Diana and Craig sit down with me today. I look at the two of them. “Oh uh...hi?” I say, a little confused.

Diana smiles. “Hello, Zach.” Well at least they remembered my name.

“Did you two need something?” I ask them.

“J-Just wanted t-to eat br-br-breakfast with y-you,” Craig replies.

I smile a tiny bit. “Oh...alright then.”

I returned to eating and tried to start small talk with them when an announcement plays. “Could all students please report to the foyer for a super special announcement?” Monokuma asks. We didn’t have much of a choice, so everyone gets up and heads to the foyer to figure out what the bear wanted.

Him and Monomi were waiting for us once we got there. “You know Monomi,” Monokuma says. “I absolutely hate secrets. They’re just no fun!” He says.

She nods. “I agree!” she says to him. “Secret keeping is absolutely no good. Anyone who does that is hiding something!” She says. He nods in agreement.

What the hell were they even doing? Why were they wasting our time with this? Bret crosses his arms. “I told you guys we couldn’t trust the rabbit,” he says. “They’re clearly friends.” Even I couldn’t deny that this wasn’t looking good for Monomi.

“Come on, darlings!” Ash says. “Let’s get on with the show!”

Monokuma looks over and tilts his head. He frowns and punches Monomi, sending her flying. “I told you this was stupid!” He shouts angrily.

He turns back to the rest of us. “The motive is a secret!” He says to us. “Only one of you knows what the motive is because only one of you were affected!”

Everyone looks around at the others. There was already a killer among them? And who knew which one it was?! “Whoever it is should come clean!” Tess says. “I need to know! I hate secrets!” She looks at us all angrily.

But no one speaks up. No one wanted to be outed like that. By then, Monokuma had left.

“Tess, I don't think that’s going to work,” Blaire says.

“No one would admit to having a motive made for murder, beautiful~!” Ash announces to us.

“Yeah, Ash is right,” Diana says. “There’s no way we can get the one with the motive to admit it.”

Tess scowls and crosses her arms. “Fine, whatever...”

Everyone walks off with mild fear and annoyance. I sigh and go find someone to spend my time with.

I find Karen in the kitchen. She was drinking a cup of tea and singing softly to myself. I clear my throat. She shrieks and spins around, dropping the cup and having it crash to the floor. “Z-Zach?!” She says meekly. “Y-You scared me...” She looks down at the mess and sighs softly. “Can...you help me clean this up..?” She asks me. I nod and walk over. I spend time cleaning up the mess with Karen. The two of us grew a little closer today.

She dumps the last of the shards of glass into the trash can. She was so shy and quiet. It’s amazing she had a singing career. Actually, that reminds me of something. “Hey Karen, how come I've never seen you perform? That song you sang when we first met was pretty popular but you aren’t the one who made it,” I say.

She looks at me then look away. “Actually...I am...” she says softly. “I’m just...I can’t stand being on the stage. Having all those people staring at me. Watching my every movement. It makes me feel sick and...then I end up puking. So...my manager got this pretty blonde woman. Said she would go on stage for me. She’d lipsync everything while I sing in the back. I was told I’d get all the fame. But...no one knows my name. Everything thinks she wrote and sang everything.” Karen trials off. It seems even someone like her wanted the credit she was due.

“I’m gonna go...” she says softly. “Bye...” She walks out of the room. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Karen.

I was heading out to the beach when I nearly walk into Blaire’s camera. “Hey!” She says, grinning. “It’s Zach! Who knows what he could be up to? Maybe he’s trying to discover what his talent is!” She seems eager to know what I was doing.

But the pressure to be doing something interesting for the camera was...immense. “Y-Yeah, that’s why I’m doing!” I lie. I end up spending time trying to discover my talent with Blaire. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Blaire and I sit down on the steps of the hotel entrance. She sat really close to me. “I guess we didn’t make much progress!” She announces. She had her camera trained on the ocean. Then she turns it off. She sighs and looks to me, smiling. “Sorry, we couldn’t get any progress buddy.” She fiddled with her camera a bit.

“Have you ever worked with movies?” I ask her.

She looks at me then back down at her camera. “Sure I have,” she says. “I’ve done all kinds of stuff. Action, romance, comedy, horror. I’ve got tons of rewards for my cinematography. It’s really nice how much people respect the camera guy, whether or not they realize it.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Can't have a good movie without someone who knows how to capture it,” I say.

“Mhmm!” She finishes changing out the tapes and cleaning off the lens. She pops in a new tape. “You owe me and Tess and interview soon,” she says. “We’ve been getting one for everybody. So don’t miss out.” She gets up and leaves, carrying her camera with her.

I find my way into the ballroom, wanting somewhere empty to relax. Olivia was here, tuning her guitar and strumming it. She seemed kind of bummed out. Must not be on good terms with Karen still. I hope they make up soon, they seemed to like each other’s company.

I go over to her and she looks at me. “Hey there, man...” she says softly.

I sit down next to her. “Can I listen to you play?” I ask her.

She nods and finishes turning her guitar. I listen to Olivia play angry sounding music for a while. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Man, that usually cheers me up, too,” she says in bitter annoyance. She sighs and plays it more quietly. I decide a happy topic would be a good mood changer.

“So Olivia, how’d you ever get into guitar playing?” I ask her.

She looks at me and stops playing. “My family is all musicians,” she says. “My dad plays the drums, my mom plays piano, and my older brother took up the saxophone. I had to pick something. Guitar seemed the most fun. It was real hard at first. Never thought I’d keep at it. But then my mom came in the day I was about to give up and kept me going. I practiced with someone every single day. I grew better and began to love it. Whenever I play my ax...it feels like heaven, man.” She smiles softly and strums the strings. “I think...I want to play in my room alone. It has some good acoustics.” I doubt that’s why she wanted to leave. But I don’t stop her. She heads off.

I soon head to my room. Bret and Chris seemed to be arguing about something or other in the hallway. I really didn't want to get involved with them and their arguments. I could see Chet and Derek watching quietly from the staircase.

I head into my room and sigh deeply. A secret motive only one person got...this was some kind of bullshit. I had no idea who it might be and what hey might have been told but it made me uncomfortable.

I get ready for bed and lie down. I stared up at the ceiling for a while, just thinking to myself. I was worried about the others and their safety. But on the plus side...I seemed to be making friends for once. After spending my life alone in that orphanage, I was happy with that. But...I still wasn't as good as any of them at anything. I couldn’t get myself too excited.

My eyes slowly drift shut and my mind begins to blank. I fall asleep with no trouble that night.


	12. Chapter 2: The Deapair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning and get myself out of bed. I get ready for the day and head down to the restaurant to get myself some breakfast and see if the others were up to anything important.

When I get down to the restaurant, I see that the others were all chattering about something. “So it’s agreed then?” Bret asks the group. “We cannot trust Monomi?” Everyone nods in agreement. Bret seems satisfied with that and sits back down.

Craig was the first to notice me. “Z-Zach,” he says. He walks over to me. “S-Sorry for n-not waking you before w-we had the d-discussion. We...k-kinda forgot...” he says softly. Of course they forgot. Why would they remember to include a nobody like me?

I smile. “It’s okay, Craig,” I reassure him. “I agree anyway. I...don’t think Monomi can be trusted. She’s too close to Monokuma and that can't be a good thing.”

Craig nods. “Ash and L-Leo also t-told us that th-the handbooks have an in-depth d-descriptions of our ent-t-tire lives,” Craig tells me before he goes back to his seat.

I look at my handbook and frown. I get myself some breakfast and sit to eat.

I sat with Diana and Craig again. Derek had decided to join us with Chris following him.

Derek waves to us and starts eating an apple. Huh, I had grabbed one of those too. I look at my food. “...Derek, that was my apple,” I say.

“Tastes like mine,” he replies. Chris grins and high fives him. I just sigh deeply and eat the rest of my food.

“Zach, how have you been feeling?” Diana asks me gently.

I look at her. “Uh...fine..?” I didn't feel like sharing my insecurities with her. This wasn't the time or place.

“Well if you ever need a shoulder to lean on, I’m always here.” She smiles gently before yawning and rubbing her eyes.

“Have you been sleeping at all?” Chris asks her.

Diana nods quickly and smiles. “Oh, course I have. Don't be silly.”

Chris frowns a little bit but doesn't ask her again, instead focusing on the parts of his breakfast Derek hadn't taken when the smaller boy finished my apple.

Eventually, everyone finishes their breakfast and leaves to go do their own thing. I go off to spend time with the others and relax.

I go into the library with the intentions to find a book to read. I found Diana instead. She was reading from a book of some kind and writing things down. I walk over to her. “Hello, Di,” I say.

She looks up at me and smiles. “Nice nickname,” she replies.

I smile a bit. “You seemed like the kind of person who would have one,” I tell her.

She rolls her eyes, still smiling. “Leave the human analysis to the expert. Even when you are right.”

I sit down and spend time chatting with Diana. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So what are you reading?” I ask her after some time.

She puts her pen in the book and closes it, showing me the cover. The Complete Serial Killer Encyclopedia. Why...Why was she reading a book like that?!

She opens the book back up. “I know it seems weird,” she says, “but serial killers are just so...so amazing!” 

I...don’t think she meant that in the way it sounded. “Did you want to rephrase that?” I ask her.

She looks back me. She seems to realize what she said because she flushes and looks away. “I-I mean their brains!” she corrects. “The way they think, the reasoning they have, their behavior. It’s all incredibly interesting to me. One of my career goals is to be able to sit down with a serial killer and have a one on one talk with them. I want to pick at their brain and figure out what makes them tick.” She looks to me, her face still a bright red. “Now I feel weird...” she grabs her stuff.

“Hey, it’s alright. Everyone likes weird stuff,” I assure.

She smiles sofly. “Thanks...But now I just feel really awkward.”

I guess I knew what she meant. Her odd outburst left a bit of a heavy weight to the air.

“I’ll just go study in my room,” she says. She waves goodbye and hurries off. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Diana.

I went back downstairs and notice Tess in the foyer. And she noticed me too. 

She was quick to walk over to me. “Zach!” she says sternly. She takes my arm and drags me over to the couches before I could reply, forcing me to sit down. She sits next to me. “I want an interview with you,” she says. “I want to know everything that makes Zach, Zach.” She had her notebook out and was ready to take notes.

I could guess she probably already did this to the others. I spend time answering Tess’s questions. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Tess frowns after the last question, reading over the notes. “You really don’t remember much about yourself, huh?” She asks. She looks up at me. Whenever she looked at me, it felt like her eyes were studying my every movement. It was really unnerving. I hadn’t been able to give her clear answers for some of the questions. Others I had nothing to say. She had to scrap all questions that mentioned talents. It really didn’t leave her with much. She sighs softly and closes her notepad. “That’s okay. Thanks for being honest.”

She looks over and smiles. “Once we get out of here, this will make a great scoop! ‘Students survive a traumatizing game of life and death!’ Imagine the kind of publicity that would get!” Was that really the thing in her mind right now? Getting noticed on TV? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised from someone called the SHSL Reporter, but still...it’s kind of sleazy.

Tess gets up. “I’ll be on my way then so I can plan out this career-defining story! See ya!” She heads off. I leave too. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Tess.

I went to the museum to try and relax. I find Ash in the room, looking over the different artifacts with disdain. “This misinformation is incredibly disrespectful,” he mutters to himself. 

He looks over and notices me. He grins wide. “Ah, darling, you’ve returned!” He takes off his hat and bows. “Have you come because of the card I left you?” He asks me as he stands back up.

This was kind of weird. I shake my head. “No, but I’ll hang out with you. I’m not interested in a relationship,” I tell him.

He pouts, looking a bit upset. “Very well then,” he says. I spend some time hanging out with Ash. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So, my sweet,” Ash says, “are you not into guys?” He looks to me. That was a really invasive question.

Before I could answer, he starts laughing. “I’m kidding,” he tells me and pats my back. With a flip of his wrist, he was holding a rose. “Some people think there is nothing better than a bit of mysterious charm,” he says.

“People’s hearts will be pierced by Cupid’s bow the moment they lay eyes on me.” He frowns a bit now, twirling the rose. “But when the mystery is solved...the love dies. I don’t know if love truly exists,” he says softly. “And if it does...it doesn’t for me.” He crushes the rose in his hand.

It seems Ash’s love life wasn’t much of a life. With another flick of his wrist, the crushed rose was gone. “Goodbye, darling,” he says to me. “I will see you later. I have some plans.” He smiles softly and leaves. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Ash.

After he was gone, I head to my room and get ready for bed. It rubs my eyes a bit and lay down. I spend a long time laying there, unable to sleep. The worry of the motive was growing more and more. It caused a pit in my stomach. When I finally did get to sleep, it was a restless and terrible night.

\-------------------

Olivia was sitting on the couch in the foyer. She couldn’t sleep and was strumming away at her guitar. Karen walks over to her quietly from her room. She held their song-in-progress tightly in her hands. She takes a deep breath. She needed to be braver and do this. She needed Olivia to forgive her. She walks over to Olivia and sits down.

Olivia glances at her while she plays. Her playing becomes angry and sloppy. She frowns and stops, looking to Karen. “What do you want?” She asks. Karen looks at her then down at the sheets of paper in her hand.

“I just...wanted to...to...” she hesitates, trying to find the words.

Olivia gets more annoyed. “Damnit, Karen, just say it already!” she snaps.

Karen flinches. “I-I’m sorry!” she says quickly. “I just wanted t-to tell you I’m sorry!”

Olivia scowls. “I trusted you, Karen,” she says. “More than everyone. And I thought you trusted me. But man, you proved me wrong. You pinned me for killing poor Stacy almost immediately.”

Olivia turns away from her and goes back to playing the guitar.

Karen moves a little closer to her. “I-I...also wanted t-to know...if you wanted to work on the song some more.” Olivia turns to her, looking pissed.

“So that’s it!” She yells angrily, standing up. “You just want to work on this fucking song!”

Karen shakes her head quickly. “N-No, that’s not--!” 

Olivia rips the song out of Karen’s hands. “This is what I think of the fucking song!” She rips the papers in half again and again and again. She throws them into the garbage.

Karen goes over to the garbage. “Why...Why..?” She looks up at Olivia, tears in her eyes.

“Don’t ever talk to me again you selfish bitch!” Olivia yells angrily.

Karen steps away from Olivia. A few tears drop down her cheeks. She chokes back a sob and runs off to her room quickly, leaving Olivia behind in the foyer.


	13. Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in end notes!

I wake up in the morning feeling absolutely exhausted. I head downstairs to get some water and something to eat before heading back to bed. But in the kitchen, I find Derek with a cookbook. He looks at me as I enter and hurries over. He pushes the book into my arms. “Bake a cake!” he says with a big smile.

I sigh softly and look down at the book. This was Stacy’s. I frown and set it down on the counter. “Not right now, Derek...” I tell him before yawning.

He frowns and stomps his foot down. “I want cake!” he demands.

I rub my temples a bit. I was too tired for this. “Derek, I hardly slept at all last night,” I say. “So...look, let me get something to eat and get some real sleep. Then I’ll make a cake. Okay?”

He looks up at me and crosses his arms. He then smiles and nods. “Okay, Zach!” He heads off.

I sigh in relief. I didn't need to deal with a temper tantrum right now, so I was glad he accepted it. I eat an apple and get some water, before heading back to my room and sleeping for a while.

\----------------

I wake up sometime later in the day, feeling a lot better. I head down to the kitchen and spend some time making a cake. Once it’s done, many of the others come in and out. They all get a slice, mostly without even asking me. I wasn’t going to say no to them.

I realize after a while that Derek never showed up. I decide to take it to him, so I take a slice of cake and head off to find him.

After some looking, I realize that no one else was around. That was weird.

I get to the second floor and finally find them. Almost everyone was grouped around the library, trying to get in. I set the cake down on one of the decorative tables and walk over.

“What’s wrong?” I ask Craig, who was in the back.

He looks at me. “Th-The door is l-locked and T-Tess heard a c-crash!” he says urgently. This couldn’t be good.

I push my way to the front of the group and pull out the lockpick Derek gave me. I use it to unlock the door. Everyone heads into the room.

From one of the stacks of bookshelves, half of them were knocked over. I quickly go over to the mess with several of the others. I look behind the last standing bookshelf in the group and freeze.

Karen was sprawled out on the ground, not moving. Her head was laying on its side. An ice pick was sticking out of her head and blood pooled out onto the ground. She stared blankly at nothing, the life in her eyes gone. The body discovery announcement plays.

Olivia was one of the first to see Karen. She walks over to her slowly and kneels down next to her. “Karen..?” she says softly. She hesitantly reaches out and pats her cheek. “Karen...Karen, wake up...” Olivia was starting to shake.

“Karen! Karen, come on! Wake up, dude!” She shakes her a little. “I-I’m sorry I yelled at you!” she says, almost in a shout. “I’m sorry! Please, wake up! W-We...We can work on the song. Like you wanted. I promise.” She grabs Karen. She was beginning to sob. She shakes her head a bit.

“Why is she so cold..?” She asks softly. “She’s so cold...”

Diana walks over to her and gently pulls Olivia to her feet. Olivia begins to sob uncontrollably. “KAREEEEEN!” she wails loudly.

Some of the others watch silently as Diana takes Olivia out of the room. Brittney heads farther into the library. She looks behind one of the bookshelves and screams. We rush over to see what got her so worked up.

On the ground was Derek, face down. He had a bloody wound on the back of his head. He wasn’t moving. I couldn’t tell if he was even breathing. “L-Little buddy..?” Chris says softly. I shake my head slowly. I had just seen him today. I had just made him a cake. There was no way...but how could I deny it? Karen Ester, the SHSL Signer, and Derek Park, the SHSL Thief, were dead.

**Killing Hotel Life - Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All**

Everyone stands in total silence. We don't move and we don’t speak. I was even holding my breath. We were all waiting for that one thing. The one thing that would prove our suspicions correct. But...it never happens. The body discovery announcement never plays.

“H-He’s still alive!” Chris says, finally breaking the silence. “Derek is still alive!”

We all rush over to Derek. Chris gets there first and kneels down, flipping Derek over and pulling him into his arms. He shakes him. “Derek! Derek, wake up!”

At first it seemed like there was nothing. Like maybe we were wrong and Monokuma just didn’t play it to fuck with us. But then his fingers twitch. A weak groan comes from Derek and his eyes flicker open and closed.

Chris laughs and pulls Derek close. “Oh thank God! He’s alive!” He says in relief.

Derek groans softly. “It...hurts...” he says weakly.

Chris stands up, lifting the smaller and lighter boy up in his arms. “I’m going to go patch him up and take care of him,” Chris says. “You guys better find out who did this.” And with that, he leaves, carrying Derek with him.

\-----------------

Chris enters his room and lays Derek down in his bed. “Alright, stay here,” he tells Derek, as if the other was in any condition to leave. He heads out and goes down to the store.

He grabs some gauze, disinfectant, cotton balls, painkillers, and a water bottle. He notices one of the two by fours was missing from the rack, but was too focused on Derek to do something about it.

He heads back up to his room and sets everything down. He quickly cleans up Derek’s wound and wraps it up. Then he helps Derek take the pills and drink some water.

Chris sits down next to Derek and sighs softly. “Do you remember anything?” he asks him. “Anything that can help us?” He looks to Derek, worry in his eyes.

Derek shakes his head slowly. “I...can’t...” Derek’s mind was a jumbled mess. “Smoke...” he says weakly after a moment. “And...pain...” He puts a hand to his forehead and groans weakly.

Chris gently pats his shoulder. “Want me to stay here with you, little buddy?” he asks him. Derek nods softly and shifts around so he was laying against Chris. He wraps an arm around the smaller boy and relaxes against his headboard with him.

\-----------------

I go over to Karen’s body. This was probably a good place to start. I kneel down and look her over. Her glasses were laying next to her body, crushed. Her mouth was opened in a silent scream. She had a couple bruises on her, the most noticeable one being on her wrist. And judging from the knocked over bookshelves, she had a struggle with someone. Obviously her killer.

I notice something sticking out of the pocket and pull it out. It was a note. Someone had asked her to meet up in the library. There was no name on it though. Who wrote this to her?

I notice that on the floor was dust or something smeared on it as if something had exploded. I go over to where Derek had been laying. A similar explosion of dust was nearby. There was also a bloodied two by four lying on the ground. This is probably what was used to knock out Derek. He probably didn't suppose to be here and had to be taken out.

I do some more looking. I notice the key for the library was missing from the key hook. Blaire and Tess walk over. “I want to know where you were since this morning,” she asks me.

I sigh softly and tell her everything that happened since I woke up. “Can you tell me who didn’t enter the kitchen?” She asks me.

I nod. “Brittney, Chet, Derek, and Karen,” I tell her.

She nods and writes that down. “Thanks.” Her and Blaire walk off.

There was a trashcan in the room with a half-eaten slice of cake thrown into it. How did that get in here?

The trial announcement soon plays and everyone heads down to the elevator. Diana was with Olivia, who was silent. Her face was wet and her eyes red. Chris was carrying Derek, who seemed to be doing a little better. I hoped he could stand.

We all walk onto the elevator and it begins to move down to the trial room. One person almost died. Another was dead. And one of us did it for a reason we didn’t even know. We had to find out who it was or we were all going to die. The elevator stops and the doors open. It was time for the second trial to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head gore


	14. Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Killing Life Trial Part I

I walk in and go back to my podium. Chris takes Derek to his and gently sets him down. He had to lean against it to keep himself upright, but it seems he would be fine.

Ace and Karen’s pictures now stood with Stacy’s. I noticed that the X’s across their faces were...stylized. Stacy had rolling pins crossing her face out. Ace had arrows and Karen had microphones. It...was kind of insulting. It made me feel angry.

“So where should we begin this time?” Diana asks.

She looks around. “How about with Karen, since she was the actual victim,” Leo says.

“Hey, Derek was a victim in this too!” Chris snaps.

Leo rolls his eyes. “Anyway...there was a note in her pocket. Someone asked her to meet with her in the library, but there was no name.”

Olivia looks up. “She...She probably thought...it was me...” she says meekly.

“The icepick had to come from the kitchen,” Tess says. “I was informed that Derek, Brittney, Chet, and Karen did not enter the kitchen. We know where Derek and Karen were...” she trails off.

Bret nods. “Chet and I were outside with,” he sighs dreamily, “Brittney.”

She scowls and looks away. “They brought me cake...” she grumbles.

Bret looks around and then smirks. “This case is pretty much closed already if you ask me,” he says confidently. “I just have one question. What are those puffs of dust on the floor?”

Wait, how did Bret already have this case solved?

“Maybe it’s flour from the kitchen?” Brittney says. “But...no, that doesn't make sense. There’s no reason for it to have been there.”

Bret looks at her and smiles wide. “It’s okay,” he sighs dreamily, “Brittney. Everyone is wrong sometimes.”

She glares at him, looking disgusted. “Did I say you could talk to me you creepy loser?!” This was unproductive.

“I-I think I kn-know what the dust i-is,” Craig says. “It’s f-from a sm-smoke bomb, r-right?”

I was beginning to have a hard time pinpointing what Craig was feeling right now. Probably nervousness like this rest of us.

Bret nods. “That's exactly what I suspected,” he says. “Which is why I think the killer is...” he points to who he believed the killer was, “Derek!”

Everyone looks at him. He tugs at his scarf, wide-eyed. “Wh-What?!” He squeaks softly.

Bret smirks. “Nice job playing the victim, but it’s pretty clear you faked it. You wrote that note for Karen! You used your smoke bombs to take her by surprise! Then you attacked her and she fought back! You probably got hurt and faked it with that wooden plank! It was all you!”

Derek quickly shakes his head. “N-No! That’s wrong!” he says quickly. He looks around.

“Actually...it does make sense, darling,” Ash says. “He was the only living person in the room.” He looks at him and smirks.

Tess flips through her notes. “But Derek wasn’t in the kitchen while Zach was there. He couldn’t have taken the icepick.” I knew that was wrong.

“Actually,” I say, “Derek was in the kitchen this morning when I walked in. And I was asleep for a while before that. He could have taken it during that time.”

Derek looks to me. He shakes his head. “Z-Zach...” he sniffles a little bit. Was he being serious? Or were these fake tears? I couldn't tell.

“I’m not going to believe it,” Chris says. “This isn’t proof!” He looked ready to punch someone.

“Hold on, we haven't even talked about everything,” I butt in. “It’s way too early to decide something like this! We can't be throwing around accusations yet!”

Ash rolls his eyes. “I have a good way to prove it,” he says, smiling. “If Derek has the missing library key on him, then it must be him.” Leo, the closest to Derek, nods.

He grabs Derek by the ankles and lifts him up into the air. Derek shrieks and flails around. “Put me down!” He screams. He tries grabbing onto something as Leo begins to shake him up and down.

“H-Hey, isn’t that br-breaking the r-rules?” Craig asks Leo.

Leo glares at the boy and snarls. “No! This is not unnecessary violence. We need to do it to get the evidence we need to solve the trial!” he shouts.

I look to Monokuma. The bear shrugs. “Not unnecessary, so not against the rules,” he says. He seemed to be okay with it.

Derek was still screaming and panicking. His scarf falls off first, fluttering to the ground under him. Then his pockets begin to empty out. A lockpick falls out. Then some smoke balls. A glass cutter lands next. Then some of our belongings. The last thing to fall out of his pocket...was the library key.

Leo drops Derek the second the key falls out. Derek lands with a grunt on his stomach. He quickly tries to take the key but Leo snatches it up first.

Leo holds the key out for everyone to see. “Here’s your proof, Chris!” he shouts angrily. “Little shit here had the key! The only reason he would have it is if he did it!”

Everyone looks to Derek. He was pulling himself back to his feet, his scarf on again and his things shoved back in his pockets. He looks around at everyone.

To Derek, it felt as if everyone had grown a lot angrier and scarier. They stared him down with burning hatred in their eyes. He starts shaking. His head was pounding still. The world tilted every so often. He couldn’t take this. This was too much!

Derek starts to sob uncontrollably. He had to hold himself up just so he couldn’t collapse to the floor. His mind was getting fuzzy again. “I-It wasn’t me!” she cries out weakly. “Didn’t kill..!” He puts his hands to his aching head. “P-Planted!” he demands desperately. “M-Must be planted!”

I frown softly watching Derek have a breakdown at his podium. But the others weren’t buying it.

“I say it’s time to vote!” Olivia says. “He did this to Karen! So he’s going to pay!”

The only ones when didn’t seem to agree with her were Chris and Craig.

“H-Hold on,” Craig says. “I-I don’t think D-Derek did i-it.” Some of the others look at him, a bit angry.

Chris seemed a bit relieved someone was on his side.

“He’s right. We still haven't gone over everything. I won't accept this until we’ve covered all the evidence,” I add.

“I’m n-not satisfied with how D-Derek got that w-wound. It was r-real. Where d-did it c-come from?” Craig ponders out loud.

I try to think. “Well...the wooden plank, of course. There wasn’t blood on anything else,” I say.

“Okay, so what does that prove?” Blaire asks.

I needed to think a lot about this.

_Why would the plank be bloody?_

It was used to hit Derek.

_How would he get hurt with it?_

Someone would have to hit him.

_Who couldn’t have hit him?_

Not Karen, she wouldn't have any reason to have it. And Derek couldn't do that himself.

_Who does that leave?_

It leaves the killer.

“I know the answer!” I say. “The only person that could have possibly hit Derek is the true killer!”

“And how do you know that?” Bret demands. I think he was more upset he might be wrong than the fact he might have picked the wrong person.

“He c-couldn’t have d-done that to himself,” Craig says. “And K-Karen couldn’t h-have either. So that m-means we are wr-wrong and D-Derek didn’t d-do it.”

“There’s also that cake in the garbage,” I say.

”Wait just a fucking minute!” Bret yells out suddenly

I look at him. “Uh...yeah? What’s up?”

”How the hell do you know Derek wasn’t the one who did this based on a fucking slice of cake?!” He demands.

”What the..? Are you still going on about this?! Let it go!” I snap.

”Never! I refuse to believe it because it’s utter nonsense!” Bret yells.

Now he was just being a stubborn jackass. Either way, I had to power through this in order to expose the truth.

”A simple slice of cake proves nothing!”

”Anyone could have been eating that slice!”

“How do you know Derek wasn’t?!”

”Uh...because I was the one in the kitchen serving the cake?” I say with a hint of annoyance. “I’d know if any was missing.

”But that doesn’t mean it isn’t him!”

”Derek is the SHSL Thief!”

”He could have stolen it from someone!”

And just as I was hoping, an opening was created in this ludicrous theory. This was the end! “Let me cut through those words!” I yell out.

”Hey, who said you could interrupt me?!” Bret demands.

“No one claimed to have lost a slice of cake! And Derek never came down to get the cake and neither did Karen. So someone who got a slice had to have been in the room at the time. That proves it couldn’t be Derek!” I exclaim.

I look around. The others seemed to be agreeing. Derek was still crying. He probably hadn’t even heard any of that.

“So then who is it, darling?!” Ash demands. “You got yourself an answer or is it hidden away like your cute face in that hood?” He looks to Craig and grins.

Craig thinks for a minute and nods. “Y-Yeah, I have a-an answer. It w-was you,” he says.


	15. Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Killing Life Trial Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

Ash frowns. “Wh-What the hell? Why would y-you say s-something like th-that?!” Ash was beginning to stutter worse than Craig did.

“C-Clearly it was Derek! S-So let’s just vote already! Th-There’s no other evidence pointing away from him after all!” Ash quickly regained his composure, adjusting his tux a little and flaring out his cape.

I knew he was full of shit. “Actually, Ash, there is something that points in your direction! The two spots the smoke bombs were used!” I say loudly.

He freezes up and turns to me. “I-I have n-no idea what y-you’re saying, darling!” He shouts that last word. It lost its usual charm and sliced the air like a knife.

“You use smoke in your tricks all the time! You’re bound to have tons of smoke bombs on you!” I shout.

Ash slams his fists down on his podium. “You...You DARE accuse me of this...this trash!” he screams. “I’ll have no part of it! That’s not proof! The door was locked anyway and I wasn't in there! SO WHY DON’T YOU KEEP YOUR FUCKING MOUTH SHUT YOU PATHETIC WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE!?”

Ash’s entire demeanor has changed. He was no longer the nice and charming guy we knew before. He was completely enraged. And I had to get through his lies in order to end this.

“Being a magician--”

_“Shut your fucking mouth!”_

“--you easily could--”

_“I’ll end your life, darling!”_

“--hidden yourself--”

_“You’re a waste of a man!”_

“--inside of the room!”

“Is that the best you’ve got?! You are such a useless piece of shit!” Ash yells out. “That’s not enough evidence to say I did everything!”

“No, you’ve got it wrong!” I yell out. “There is something that points to you. Did you forget that cake in the trash? You were one of the last to come get from me!”

Ash scowls angrily. “That...That doesn't...”

“Even with that, you easily could have hidden in there!” I shout. “A disappearing act like that would be no trouble for the SHSL Magician! The note, the smoke bombs, the key! It was all you! You did all of it, Ash! And I’m going to prove it to you by going over the entire case!” This was the only way to show him and the others who really did the killing.

“The killer started by giving Karen that note. They needed her in the room in order to do their dirty work. When they came downstairs to get the cake, they took the icepick and left. They went into the store to get the two by four plank and went up to the library. They went after Karen first, using the smoke bomb to take her by surprise and attack. The two of them struggled and knocked over the bookshelves. But they managed to get the ice pick rammed into her head, killing her instantly. Derek was there, having witnessed the whole thing. They probably planned on having another person in the room. They used another smoke bomb to get him from behind with the plank. With him knocked out, they slipped the key into his pocket and hid in the room. When everyone walked in, they joined the group and acted like you were there the whole time. They kept Derek alive so you could pin the murder on him. They set him up from the very beginning! And all of that was done by you, Ash!” I watch him, waiting to see if he would try to deny it.

Ash’s face looked blank. Then there’s a little giggle from him. The giggle erupts into full-on, hysterical laughter. He had a wide grin plastered on his face as he laughs wildly. Like he just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“I can’t believe a total nobody like you managed to be the one to piece it together!” he says. “This whole thing has been wonderful! My final act! Thank you for being such a wonderful audience everyone, because you idiots were eating out of my hand the entire time!” He bursts into laughter again.

“What...What on Earth is wrong with him?!” Diana shouts. She looked at him, terrified and curious.

“He’s completely insane!” Chet says, cowering behind his podium.

Ash just keeps on laughing, not listening to anyone anymore. Was this what he wanted?

“So what the hell was the motive, bear?!” Leo yells at Monokuma angrily. “What was the big secret that turned Ash into...into this?!”

Monokuma tilts his head. He giggles a bit. “Oh, you want to know what my super secret motive was! Well, alright then! This motive was...I randomly selected one of you to have your memories returned!” he cheers.

Monomi looks at him from her rope. “Y-You did what?!”

Everyone looks back to Ash. His eyes swirled with despair. Nothing human was left in there anymore. Was this...what we all were? Was everyone like this? Was this what our memories held for everyone?!

Ash’s laughter begins to die down finally. Monokuma grins wide. He knew we were done. “Time to vote! Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?” Everybody votes for Ash. Monokuma grins. “That’s right! Ash Specks, the SHSL Magician, is the killer!”

Leo looks to Ash. “Hey! You have all of your memories back, so how about you fess up to what’s really going on here!” he shouts angrily.

Ash looks over, still grinning and giggling. “Temper, temper, handsome~!” he waggles his finger teasingly. “Yelling will get you nowhere! As I have said before, I’m a man of mystery. I’m not the type to flip to the end of the book before I finish reading to find out the big twist. So I won’t say much. But...what I will say is this. The ones who put you here are known as the Future Foundation. Their other name...is the World Enders! And one of you is working for them!”

Could we really trust him? He’s...He’s clearly insane! But if he has his memories back, then he should still be telling the truth. Ash look to Monokuma. “Okay, I’m ready!” He turns back to everyone and bows. “You were all a wonderful audience! I wish for your lives to be filled with agony and despair!” He stands back up. “And goodbye.”

Monokuma pulls out his hammer. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! IT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down on the button. Ash is dragged away and the screen drops down for us all to see.

**Ash Specks has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

There was a massive stage in a dark room. It was mostly covered with black, sparkled curtains there were shining in the spotlights. On the wall next to it was a poster that had a picture of Monokuma in a puff of smoke, wearing a top hat and cape and holding a wand. It read ‘Come see the Amazing Monokuma’s final act! Guests star: Ash!’

The curtains suddenly pulled back swiftly to reveal the act! Ash was stuck inside of a magic sawing box, a wide grin on his face. He was ready for his own final act. Monokuma stood behind it on a stool. He takes off the top hat he was wearing and reaches inside. He slowly pulls out a long hand saw, the blade gleaming in the stage lights. He sets it on top of the box as Ash's feet kick a little. Now he seemed slightly nervous. The act’s crowd was going wild.

**The Amazing Monokuma’s Final Act!**

Something seemed to be wrong. This wasn’t how the act was supposed to go! But the crowd seems to be loving it. They were cheering and yelling out happily. Ash looks out at the crowd but it was impossible to see any of them. All that could he see is a black blob of movement.

Monokuma begins to saw with amazing speed, sawdust flying through the air. Ash’s feet continue to kick and he was clearly straining with trying to move. Soft banging can be heard from inside the box. The crowd kept cheering and yelling in joy and excitement.

The sawdust turns red as Monokuma gets lower and lower. Ash’s kicking gets more panicked and the banging gets much louder suddenly. His eyes widen in pain and his jaw visibly tenses. Then the saw goes all the way through the box.

All movement stopped from Ash. The banging went quiet and the kicking was done. Monokuma looks at the crowd. He throws the saw aside and taps the box three times with his wand. Blood dribbled out of Ash’s mouth and down his cheek as Monokuma pulls the boxes apart.

Ash's intestines slide out, piling up on the floor with a wet splatter and thud. Monokuma bows as the audience cheers and applauds, tossing flowers up on the stage. Roses cover the stage floor. It almost looked like Ash was smiling.

I felt sick. That was...That was terrible! That was completely awful! I wanted to vomit but I kept it down. The others looked sick or uneased too.

Derek was hugging Chris tightly, hiding his face in the taller boy and sniffling. I walk over and gently put my hand on Derek’s shoulder. He shrieks and pulls away from Chris. “Don’t hurt me!” he screams before running off to the elevator. Chris follows after him and the two leave.

“Is...Is that what our memories are?” Brittney says softly. “Are we all like that loser..?” She looks at everyone. She looked terrified.

Bret shakes his head. “Th-There’s no way! Monokuma probably just picked him on purpose because he was nuts!”

Still, the lingering worry of what we’re all truly like stayed heavy in the air and followed us all to our rooms. I crawl into bed and manage to fall asleep, having nightmares throughout the night.

**Chapter 2: The Despair Within Us All Will Kill Us All - Completed!**

Zach, Chet, Bret, Diana, ~~Ace~~ , ~~Ash~~ , Derek, Leo, Tess, Chris, Brittney, Olivia, ~~Karen~~ , Blaire, Craig, ~~Stacy~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guts/intestines


	16. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Daily Life Part I

**Daily Hotel Life - Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End**

I wake up feeling tired. The nightmares weren’t helping. You don’t sleep well when your dead friends scream for your help all night, after all. I pull myself out of bed and get ready for the day. Guilt washes over me from the events of yesterday’s trial. Derek had looked terrified. I doubted him just like the rest. And Olivia had looked so...empty. I’d have to check on them today. I get dressed and leave the room.

The others were picking at their food today when I got to the restaurant. But people were at least eating. I didn’t see Olivia though. Derek was sitting away from everyone else, resting against Chris, his only company.

I go sit down with Diana and Craig, who seemed to be talking. Diana looks at me and smiles weakly. She looked absolutely exhausted. “I was unable to speak to Olivia the entire time yesterday,” she says. “As much as I tried...I could not get her to say a single thing. And now...” she looks to Derek. He notices her gaze and hides himself in Chris’s coat. She sighs softly.

“I’m also concerned for Derek’s well being. He seems to have developed a phobia of everyone now. He won’t look or talk to anyone but Chris,” she says. “I don’t know how long we can go on like this before more people lose their minds here...”

“I don’t think I want to have my memories back...” Blaire says softly from where she was sitting.

I look at her. She recorded every single moment of her life. But right now, her camera was off and sitting away from her. Having her admit she doesn’t want those memories...meant something really was fucked up.

Tess gently rubs Blaire’s back. “Don’t worry about it,” she tells Blaire. “There’s no way we can all be like that. It...It’s just some shit Monokuma is trying to pull to scare us. That’s all.”

Monomi pops up, looking proud of herself. “Everyone, I have successfully gotten the third floor accessible!” she says cheerily.

No one pays her any attention. “D-Did everyone hear me?” she asks us.

Bret rolls his eyes. “Get out,” he says. “No one likes you.”

Monomi sniffles. She looked really hurt by that. “You’re all so mean to your teacher!” she cries.

Is she for real? “You aren’t our teacher!” I snap. She seemed to be even more upset by that.

Bret hands Chet an apple. He snaps his fingers. “Throw it!” he orders.

Chet nods and throws the apple, hitting Monomi right in the face and knocking her down.

“Hey, isn't that breaking the rules?” Tess asks.

Before the twins could answer, Monokuma pops up with guns...who gave the bear guns?! “Who broke the rules?!” he demands excitedly. “I’ll fill ya with holes! Termites will be jealous of how fast I can do it!” He looks around and sees Monomi on the floor with an apple next to her.

“Hurting Monomi is not against the rules,” he says, sounding annoyed. “No amount of violence against her is excessive or unnecessary.” He leaves with a huff. So does Monomi before anyone else could hurt her.

Since Monomi mentioned it, we all decided to go check out the new floor. We get into the elevator and press the button, traveling up.

The floor here was wooden and creaked when you stepped on it. Directly in front of the elevator was a room labeled Lounge. I head inside to check it out.

The room was large and had wooden floors. A Monokuma skin rug laid in front of a fireplace with a roaring fire already set up. There were a couple chairs and a couch as well. A couple bookcases lined the back walls. There were a lot of knickknacks and a few books. They seemed to be made up autobiographies about Monokuma. They all seemed really fake. There was one about Monomi too, but it seemed to be burning away in the fireplace.

Down the hall on the left was a room labeled Performance Stage. The doors were steel and cold. The inside seemed a bit more lively. There were chairs and tables on the main floor. The stage was rather large and wooden as well. Curtains were opened and I could see the stage lights from here. There was a backstage filled with instruments and equipment for the stage and all kinds of props.

After leaving the room, I head down the other side of the hall. There was a room labeled Cafe. I wasn’t too surprised with what I found inside. There was a counter with a few coffee machines behind it. An array of teas and coffees were lined up on shelves. There were some cases with baked goods in them, like cookies and donuts and bagels. There were some tables and chairs in here as well and a backroom with extra coffee machines. A lot of them.

On either end of the halls were two rooms. Room 301 and Room 302. They felt extremely cozy. Big beds with massive, fuzzy, warm looking blanket. Mini fridges and a microwave were in the corners of the rooms. Massive dressers sat against the wall with a mirror on them and smooth lamps. There wasn’t much to them.

The room wasn't too bad. But I felt feelings of loneliness start to come through. I would just go spend time with some of the others. It couldn't be too bad. I head off.

I find the twins in the cafe. Chet was making the two of them cappuccinos. I wasn’t sure if he knew how though. Bret sees me walk in and waves me over. “Hey, join us for coffee!” he says.

I hesitate a bit. I didn't trust Bret entirely. He might try something.

Bret snaps his fingers. “Join us for coffee, Zach!” he orders. I sit down at the table next to him and Chet makes another coffee. I spend time drinking cappuccinos with the twins. The three of us grew a little closer today.

Chet gets us some cookies at Bret’s orders. Watching Bret order his brother around made me feel really uncomfortable. “Hey, maybe you should give your brother a little break,” I tell Bret.

Chet frowns a little and shifts awkwardly in his seat. Bret looks at me and scowls.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” he snaps at me suddenly. Chet shrinks back a bit in his seat. “You are not the one in charge here!” Bret goes on, jabbing me in the chest a bit. “So don’t think you can go giving me orders!” He stands up.

I look at Chet. “What do you think?” I ask him, trying to remain calm.

Chet looks up at his brother then back to me. “I...I would...like a break every so often...if that’s okay...” he says softly.

Bret looks at his brother and frowns softly. I think I saw something wash across his face. Was it guilt? “Oh...I see...then let’s go relax.” Bret grabs Chet gently and pulls him to his feet. The two leave. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Chet and Bret.

Before I went downstairs, I heard talking in the Performance Room. I head in to see what it was. Olivia was sitting on the stage, writing feverishly. Her hair was a mess and she looked really tired. I walk over to her. “Olivia, what are you doing?” I ask her. I was a bit worried.

She looks up at me. Her face was wet and she dries it with her sleeve. “Making our song...” she goes back to writing. I try to take a page she had finished and look at it, but she snatches all of them up quickly. “No!” she screams. “No one gets to look until it’s done! Get out! Get out!” I quickly leave the room. She’s lost her mind.

I head to the restaurant instead. Tess was in there, eating a sandwich. She waves me over as I enter and I sigh. Was I going to get interviewed again?

I walk over and sit down next to her. She wipes her mouth off and sets the half-eaten sandwich down. “Hey, have you seen Blaire?” she asks me. I shake my head and she sighs. “Alright, then I’ll do your interview alone! You are gonna tell me everything you’ve thought from when we got here to the first trial!”

I spend time going far too deeply into detail of my personal feelings with Tess. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So how are you holding up?” I ask Tess once she finishes questioning me.

She looks at me, a bit surprised. “You...want to know how I feel? Huh...” she bites her lip and looked bewildered.

Why did she seem so taken back? “No one really asks me that kind of stuff...” she says finally. “Usually I figure it’s because everyone else is more interest.” She puts on a smile. The kind she probably uses in TV.

“I guess I am due for my own interrogation. So...how do I feel..” she clicks her pen a bit. She seemed to be struggling to find the words. “You don’t want to know that,” she says. “But...thanks for taking an interest. Even if you were pretending,” she says.

She smiles and gets up. I frown a bit. “But Tess, I--” but she was already gone. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Tess.

I head outside to try to relax and spot Leo. He was standing at the end of the dock. I walk over to him. He was squatting down and talking to something in the water. I walk over and peer into the water. I saw several shark fins swimming around. “Whoa!” I say, taking a step back.

He looks at me and shakes his head. “Fucking pussy...” he grumbles before turning back to the sharks. “Get your ass over here,” he growls at me. I slink over. I spend time with Leo and the sharks. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Leo had his hand in the water and was petting one of the shark’s noses. “You’re really amazing,” I tell him.

Leo scoffs. “Please, anyone could do this.” He sits down and puts his feet in the water. The sharks bump into them occasionally but seemed otherwise harmless. He smiles a bit. “Animals are easier to connect with than humans,” he says. “They’re complicated and special, but easier to get along with. Easier to please. They don’t get angry or jealous or sad nearly as easily. Humans suck. We have more emotions than nearly all animals and they’re out of control. We’re the real animals, after all.”

Leo really seemed to have a low opinion of other people. I wonder how he got stuck with a thought process like that.

He looks up at me and frowns again. “I’m bored of you. Go away.” He shoos me off with his hand.

I sigh softly and leave. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Leo.

It was late. I head up to my room and sit on my bed. I hear noises in the vents above my bed. I frown and get up. The vent wasn’t screwed in so I easily pop it off. Derek sticks his head out.

I scream and fall back, falling right off my bed and hitting the floor. “Ow...”

Derek frowns and crawls away quickly. I hear him leave. I...didn’t want to question why he was in the vents. I just put the cover back on and go to sleep, although now it was companies with a growing feeling of being watched.


	17. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Daily Life Part II

Derek and Chris were the first to wake up. Derek hadn’t wanted to sleep in his room lately, so he was sleeping in Chris’s. Of course, leaving his room was also kind of scary. So crawling in the vents was the best option.

Chris looks down at Derek. The smaller boy still seemed pretty upset. He frowns a bit, trying to think of a way to cheer him up. Then he grins and ruffles Derek’s hair. “I got an idea that might make you smile, little buddy!” he says.

Derek looks up at him, curious, and nods. The two head over to my room.

Derek opens the door and they sneak in. I was fast asleep. Chris manages to lift me up and out of bed, careful not to wake me up. Then the two head to Brittney’s room. Derek unlocks that door and they go in. She wasn't in her room right now, so they lay me in her bed and head down to the foyer to watch the fireworks happen.

\-----------------

I wake up eventually. I sit up and yawn. I rub my eyes a bit and looks around. Wait...this wasn’t my room. The whole room smelled like perfume. There was a dresser with a mirror and makeup on it. I frown and get out of bed, rubbing my eyes. I was about to leave, but the door opens and Brittney walks in. She looks at me.

“AHHHHH! THERE’S A CREEPY PERVERTED LOSER IN MY ROOM!” she screams. She grabs makeup from off of her dresser and throws it at me. I run out and she slams the door shut. I hardly noticed Chris and Derek laughing before they left to the restaurant. I go to my room to get ready then head to the restaurant.

I enter the restaurant, still blushing a dark red. Everyone but Olivia and Bret was there. Derek was letting Chet sit with him and Chris. I was surprised his brother wasn't around.

Brittney shoots me a glare as I enter and I looked away awkwardly. I get my breakfast and sit down with Diana and Craig. Diana seemed to be doing better and moves to sit next to me.

“Zach, you look flustered. What’s wrong?” Diana asks me.

“Um...kind of woke up in Brittney’s room someone and she had a meltdown,” I say softly.

“What? How did you manage to get in there?” she asks me.

Craig hadn't said anything yet. He was focused on something else. I think he was staring at Chris, Derek, and Chet. “...it’s pr-probably not imp-p-portant,” he finally says.

“Yeah, but Brittney hates me now...” I grumble softly. I was far more worked up about it than I was willing to admit though.

“I’m sure she’ll forgive you if you just explain it,” Diana tries to assure me.

I look over at Brittney. She was still sending me death glares. “Probably not...” I murmur.

Craig pats my shoulder gently. “I-It’ll be ok-k-kay,” he tells me.

I nod softly and begin to eat my breakfast quietly.

After everyone finishes eating, we’re called out for an announcement. Olivia and Bret joined us for that. Monokuma pops up without Monomi.

“Where’s the other loser?” Brittney asks.

Monokuma tilts his head. “You mean my little sister? She’s busy! That’s all you little brats need to know! Anyway, I’ve prepared you all a brand new motive!” he says happily. I already hated the sound of this.

“I’ve decided that your memories just simply aren’t that important to you. So...I’m going to take what is more important to you and destroy it if I don’t see a body in the next three days! And if you want some proof, I’ll happily destroy something right now if I need to!”

He...He couldn’t be serious, could he?! Everyone was extremely unnerved. Bret and Chet look at each other. Chris pulls Derek a closer. Diana tugs on her jacket a bit. Tess and Blaire get a little closer. Leo’s frown seems to get even angrier looking than usual.

Monokuma seems satisfied with the heavy tension in the air and leaves. “He...He can’t really do that, right?” Blaire asks. No one answers her. We weren’t sure how far or the bear’s power went. But we knew there was no way this could be an empty threat.

Eventually, we all go off to do our own things. I leave to find someone to spend time with and try to calm down.

I head out to the beach. Blaire was sitting in the sand. Her camera was off and sitting next to her. I walk over to her and sit down.

“Hey there Blaire, you feeling alright?” I ask her.

She looks at me and nods. “Yeah...Yeah, I’m fine. You wanna hang out with me?” She grabs her camera.

I smile and nod. I spend time being recorded by Blaire. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So...how did you get into video recording everything?” I ask her.

She looks at me and then quickly sets up the camera on a rock before sitting down next to me again. “I guess...I just wanted to hold on to all of my memories,” she says. “I...don’t like the thought of forgetting things. So I made sure I captured as much of my life in video as possible. You don't forget stuff when it’s all on video.”

There seemed to be a deeper meaning to what she was talking about. “Blaire, is that the only reason?”

She frowns a tiny bit and hesitates. She seems to be about ready to tell me the answer.But then Tess calls for her.

She gets up quickly. “I gotta go, but thanks for hanging out with me!” She runs off, taking her camera as she goes. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Blaire.

I head back into the building. I go to the store to get myself some snacks. I find Chris there. He was holding...someone’s panties?!

I go over to him. “Chris, where did you get those?!” I ask him in a low whisper.

He looks down at me and grins smugly. “I swindled them off of Brittney, duh! It was super easy too! Wanna know how I did it?” I had the feeling he wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I nod. I listen to Chris tell me how he got Brittney’s panties. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“You are going to give those back, right?” I ask him.

He looks at me, a bit surprised. “You really think I will? No way, I got these fair and square!”

No, he didn't. I don’t believe that for a second. Even he basically admitted to me that he stole them. Although, I wasn’t surprised that a con artist would lie right to my face either. “I don’t think Derek and Chet would like you having those,” I say. “Or Bret...”

Chris scowls a bit as I say that. He sighs irritably. “Fine, fine! I’ll give them back!” He slides them into his coat.

I still didn’t trust him. He just had that kind of air around him. Untrustworthy. A cheat. A liar.

“So how did you get into...this?” I ask.

He looks at me. He gives a grin. It made me trust him less. He leans against the wall. “I guess I just grew up like this. My mom was a gambler and my dad was a cheat. All they ever did was lie and cheat and con. I took an interest. Had them teach me. Then I started doing my own things. I got really good!”

He seemed so proud of his upbringing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but still, his entire life was just him lying and cheating everyone. “Well, I should return those panties,” he says. He leaves. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Chris.

I head off with a bit of a sigh. I find Craig in the lounge, making a sweater. He looks at me as I enter and waves me over.

I smile a bit and walk over to him. “W-Wanna help m-me?” he asks.

I look at the half-finished sweater and nod. “Sure!” Craig grins under his hood. I spend time making a sweater with Craig. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Craig,” I say as he bandages up my fingers, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Can...I see your face?” I look into the hood.

His hands move away from mine and he tugs it over his head some more. “I-I would r-rather n-not...” he says softly. He shuffles uncomfortably back to the sweater.

“Well, why do you hide yourself?” I ask as I follow him.

He takes the sweater. “I...I-I d-don’t want t-to talk ab-b-bout it...” he folds up the sweater and hurries out of the room.

I sigh softly. I shouldn't have gotten so pushy. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Craig.

It was getting late so I went back to my room. I get ready for bed and lay down, frowning at my ceiling.

Monokuma’s newest motive still worried me. How could he possibly destroy what’s most important to us? If I asked her probably just prove it to us. I roll over and fall asleep slowly.


	18. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dead Are Friends In the End - Daily Life Part III

I wake up not sleeping in another person’s bedroom, thankfully. I get out of bed and get ready for the day. After that, I head down to the restaurant to get myself some breakfast.

Everyone was done here, except for Olivia. Bret was here today and sat with his brother, now away from Chris and Derek.

Derek still didn’t look to the others, but he waved to me a bit when I entered. I smile a little and wave back. Derek smiles a bit too.

I sit with Diana and Craig again. The three of us talk casually. The tension of yesterday’s motive still laid heavily over everyone.

“Did you talk to Brittney about what happened?” Diana asks me.

I shake my head and sigh. “No, I haven't. I still don't know who did that to me. I don't think she'll believe me if I don't give her a good answer.”

“Mm...I g-got an idea,” Craig says. He looks towards Tess and Blaire and quickly waves them both over.

“Something up?” Tess asks as they approach.

“Someone p-put Z-Zach in Br-Brittney’s r-room and we n-need to kn-know who did. C-Can you t-two help?” he asks them.

Balire puts a hand over her mouth and snickers a bit. “That sounds hilarious...” she says softly.

My face flushed a bright red and I put my head in my arms, groaning.

Tess gently pats my back. “Don't sweat it, we’ll figure this thing out.”

I look up at the two girls again and sigh deeply. “Thanks...”

They smile and head back to where they had been sitting. Craig pats my back gently and I smile.

“You guys are pathetic...” Leo snarls softly.

I frown a little bit. Was he listening? Everyone must have heard us then...I groan and put my arm in my arms again.

Some time goes by and we finish eating breakfast and go our own ways.

I find Derek on his own in the store. He was swiping different candies and sliding them into his pocket. He did know he didn’t have to pay for any of this...right? I walk over to him and tap his shoulder.

He shrieks and spins around, dropping some of the candy he was holding. He looks up at me, shivering. But he seems to relax a bit. “Oh...hi Zach.” He kneels down and starts picking up the candy.

“Can we hang out?” I ask him. He looks at me and then looks away. But he gives a little nod. I spend some time eating sweets with Derek. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Derek, I’ve noticed that you talk kind of...weird. Why is that?” I ask him.

He looks up at me, chewing on some gummy worms. “Speech in...im...inpet...um...” he seems to struggle with figuring out the word.

“Speech impediment?” I ask him.

His eyes light up and he nods. “Yep!” He smiles. Seems he wasn't bothered by it. “Also a klep...klepta...” he frowns.

I smile a bit. “Kleptomaniac?” I say.

He smiles and nods again. At least it explained his thievery.

“Did you get those traits from your parents?” I ask him.

He frowns a little bit and looks down. “My...parents...” he suddenly seemed really uncomfortable. He grabs another bag of gummies. “I’m gonna go...” He leaves before I could stop him. I guess his parents were a touchy subject. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Derek.

I head out of the store with a soda in hand. I find Brittney in the library, reading a book. I walk over to her. “What are you reading, Britt?” I ask her.

She looks up and me and quickly swipes the book off the table. It hits the floor with a heavy thud. “Nothing!” she says quickly. “And I never said you could give me a nickname, loser! I’m still pissed about you being in my room.” I sigh softly. I might as well try to get past that part now. I spend time explaining why I had been in there to Brittney. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I pick up the book from off of the floor. Brittney didn't have the time to snatch it from me. “Is this a textbook?” I ask her.

She looks at it then up at me. She sighs softly. “Okay, fine! Yes! I was studying for fun, okay?! God...” She looked really embarrassed.

“Hey, it’s alright if you like to study,” I say. “Nothing wrong with that.”

She looks at me as if I had just called her the worst name imaginable. “Are you serious?! I’m a cheerleader! The best one in the world! I can’t be studying, that’s loser work!” She crosses her arms. “Don’t tell the others about this, Zach,” she says demandingly.

I don’t really expect the others to care but I decided not to go against her wishes. She takes the textbook from me and leaves to study in peace. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Brittney.

I head to the cafe to relax with a warm drink. Diana was in here. She was getting herself a small snack. A large coffee and some cookies. I go sit down next to her.

She looks at me and gives a warm smile. She had such an aura of safety and assurance to her. “Hello, Zach,” she says. “Are you here to join me for a nice coffee?”

I decided it wouldn’t hurt and nod. I spend time having a coffee with Diana. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Diana, why do you study psychology?” I ask her curiously.

She looks up at me and sets her coffee down. “Well because I enjoy it. And I want to help people,” she says with another of her warm smiles.

“But what got you interested?” I ask her.

Her smile falters a bit. “That...would be my father,” she says. She sips at her coffee again.

“Was he an inspiration for you?” I ask her.

She nods softly. “Yes...you could say that,” she says. That was a weird way of wording it.

“But what does that--” she didn’t let me finish.

She stands up. “I should go check on Olivia,” she says quickly before leaving. I frown a little bit. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Diana.

I head to my room and get into bed. “I have got to stop being so pushy with the others...” I grumble softly to myself. I slowly close my eyes and fall asleep.

\--------------

Diana enters the Performance Room to find Olivia. She already worried the girl wasn’t sleeping or eating. She finds Olivia sitting on the stage. She was writing feverishly still. She looked exhausted and weak. Papers surrounded her in the floor. Diana walks over to her and grabs one of the papers from off the floor.

‘I’m so sorry, Karen’ was written repeatedly on the paper. She grabs another one. Same thing. The same desperate message written by a girl crushed by guilt and sorrow. Diana sets the papers back down when she found them walks over to Olivia, careful not to step on any. She didn’t want to set the girl off and cause her to lash out.

She manages to get to Olivia and kneels down next to her. She continued to write the same messages on the paper she had in front of her. “Olivia,” Diana says softly.

The writing pauses for a moment.

“You should come downstairs with me,” she says, going on. “You’ve been at this for three days. You need to rest and eat.”

Olivia shakes her head quickly. “N-No! The song...the song isn’t done! I need to finish it!” Olivia cries out. She goes back to her writing. Diana gently grabs Olivia’s hand. The writing stops. Olivia’s hands shake and she drops the pencil.

“Let go!” she says weakly. “I need to finish! It’s not done!” She tries to pull away from Diana. But she doesn’t let go and instead wraps her arms around Olivia, pulling her in a hug. Olivia screams and thrashes around, trying to get away.

The struggles weaken. The screams die off into a fit of sobbing. She curls up in Diana’s arms, grabbing at her jacket tightly. Diana lets her cry her heart out.

“It’s all my fault!” she says through her tears. “I told her I never wanted to speak to her again. I ripped up our song. She...She died thinking I hated her!”

Diana sighs softly and stands up, pulling Olivia up to her feet. “That letter, while written by Ash, gave her hope,” Diana says. “The last thing she was thinking of was probably you and your forgiveness.”

Olivia sniffles a bit and dries her face. “Think so..?” she asks meekly.

Diana nods and smiles. “Let’s get you something to eat,” she says. Olivia nods and the two head out of the room.


	19. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9/8 update  
> Replaced an old vicitm with a new one.
> 
> Content warning in end notes

I wake up in the morning and get ready for the day, feeling well rested. I was a little surprised I actually got to have as nice of a rest as I did.

I head downstairs to the restaurant and eat some breakfast. Olivia was just leaving. She seemed to be doing a lot better and was messily stuffing some pancakes into her mouth. She waves as she walks off. I smile a bit, happy to see her doing well.

I eat breakfast with Craig and Diana. Derek, although a little hesitant and sticking closely to Chris, joins us too. The five of us chat.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing a little better,” Diana comments.

Derek smiles weakly and nods a little, holding onto Chris’s arm gently. Chris reaches over and ruffles his hair. “Yeah, you’re doing good, little buddy.”

Derek smiles happily. He seems to be very pleased with the praise he was getting.

“J-Just know wee h-here for y-you,” Craig says to him. “We’re y-your fr-friends.”

“Yeah, if you ever need anything, you can ask us,” I agree.

“...I want candy!” Derek says happily.

Chris laughs a little and stands up

Tess and Blaire stop the three of us for a small interview. It was just some basic stuff about how we felt.

“Thanks for the info, guys!” Blaire says happily.

“No problem!” Diana replies, giving a sleepy smile.

“Let’s go find Leo. He still owes us one. And if Olivia is doing better, we should go see her too,” Tess says to Blaire.

“Let me get a new camera out,” Blaire replies.

The two girls hurry off to do their thing.

Diana looks at me after they left. “Craig and I are going to get some sodas. Olivia told me she wants to play us one of her songs! You go met her upstairs and see if she’s ready,” she says.

I nod and head up to my room. I wanted to look nice for this. It was a special occasion after all. I put on the nicest shirt I could find and shower before heading out.

I head to the Performance Room. I was extremely excited for this. Not only to hear some amazing music from the SHSL Guitarist but to see her doing better. Olivia being happy again was a wonderful thing to happen that I wanted to see.

I get to the doors and push them open. I wish, with all of my heart, that the next thing I saw never happened. Was never real. But it was and I couldn't change that. Tess was laying on the floor of the stage. Her head had been entirely smashed in with Olivia’s now broken guitar. It was completely unrecognizable. I only knew it was her from the outfit on the body and the hat lying next to her.

I try to scream but all that comes out is a choked noise. I take a few steps back. The others...I...I needed to get the others! I run off.

I back to the foyer, and crashing into Diana and Craig as I got off the elevator.

“H-Hey, something wr-wrong?” Craig asks me.

I nod weakly. “T-Tess...she...she’s...she’s dead!” I cry out.

That was all I had to say. The three of us head up quickly. On our way, we meet up with Leo and Blaire. After telling them the news, all five of us go to the performance room.

Those four were the first ones there. I didn’t want to see Tess again quite yet so I let them go ahead. The body announcement plays. Diana screams. “OLIVIA!”

Wait...what?! I run over and push past them, looking into the room just as the body announcement plays a second time.

The curtains had been pulled back. Dangling by her feet from the ceiling was Olivia. Her throat had been slashed open. Her skin was a sickly pale and her face was stained red in her own blood. Her eyes were wide and looked out at all of us. I...I couldn't believe it. Two people. Two friends. Tess Weathers, the SHSL Reporter, and Olivia Tarantella, the SHSL Guitarist, were dead.

**Killing Hotel Life - Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End**

My mind was swimming. I just...I couldn’t believe it. Two people were really dead. This wasn’t like the last murder. Two body announcements played. Two people were completely dead. And there was no bringing them back from it.

Blaire stared at Tess’s corpse, completely frozen. She just stared with wide eyes, her camera focused on the two bodies.

The twins entered next with Brittney trailing behind. Chet looked scared me Brittney seems uncomfortable. I couldn't tell if it was the bodies or Bret doing that.

Chris and Derek were the last two to arrive. Derek whimpers and hides himself in Chris’s coat. And now that everyone was here, the investigating begins.

I go over to the stage. The floor had a tarp under it. It must have been placed there after Tess got here because her brains were splattered all over the stage floor. I felt sick just thinking that.

I go over to Tess first to check on her body. Her hand has her notebook in it. There were some pages ripped out and only a few light stains remained instead of any splatters of blood. Olivia’s guitar was the clear weapon. It had completely smashed in her head. There was nothing else of interest about her body, so I move on to Olivia’s next.

Olivia’s throat was slashed open completely from one end to the other. Not much blood was flowing out. The tarp didn’t have a massive mess on it, but a circle directly under her was nearly completely clean while I could clearly see some blood spilled outside of it. So where did the blood go?

Her mouth had tape over it and her arms were tied up. Her eyes were opened wide and lifeless, staring straight ahead at nothing. She had been alive when...I give a shaky sigh.

I look at the rope. It was slung over the spotlight rail and secured on the back wall. For whatever reason, the loop was tied in the fashion of a noose.

Diana walks out of the storage closet, holding a blood-soaked knife in her hands. “I...found this hidden away...” she says softly.

I walk over to her and take the knife, setting it down. “Do you need to talk?” I ask her. She nods weakly, wiping her eyes a bit.

“I...I tried to help her. I got Olivia back to being Olivia. I thought...if she wasn’t cooped up in here all day she’d be less defenseless. Not be a victim. But...” She trails off and hugs me tightly. I blush a bright red and gently wrap my arms around her.

I understood her pain completely. I wanted to help her too. And Tess. And everyone else who has died here. All I wanted to do was help everyone. It...It was the only thing I was capable of doing. And even that...I was a complete failure at.

Diana soon lets go of me and dries her eyes. “Sorry about that...” she says softly. “I should be stronger. I’m a psychologist after all. I need to be there to help people! Not be helped by people!” With a sudden confidence, she heads off before I could talk to her more.

I sigh softly and looks back at the two bodies on the stage. I’d find it who did this to them. I leave the room to see if I could solve the biggest mystery on my mind. Where the missing blood went.

After a while of searching, I find a steel basin sitting on the beach. It was wet but cleaned. This could have easily held the blood. But it was now empty, so where was it? I hear odd noises from the water near the dock. I walk over to the edge and look down.

The sharks from the other day were back. Their fins swam around frantically, jaws snapping here and there. Something has sent them into a frenzy. How did that even happen?! I decide to leave. They are making me uneasy.

As I head back inside. Blaire had been moved to the foyer. I don't know if she did it herself or if someone brought her here. She was staring down at her camera, eyes glazed over.

I walk over to her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. I felt her tense up under my touch. Tears begin to well up in her eyes and slide down her cheeks.

“Wh-Why...did it have to be her..?” Blaire says weakly. “Why...Why Tess..? She was nice and kind and caring and she...she knew how to listen to people. So why..?”

I gently pull Blaire into a hug and she begins crying into my chest. She drops her camera and grabs onto me tightly.

“We’ll find out who did it, Blaire...I promise...” I say softly.

The trial announcement plays and we all head into the elevator. I had to pry Blaire off of me and she took her camera from he floor.

Everyone gets in and the doors shut. It begins moving down once we were inside. One of us was a killer. They took the life of not one, but two of our friends. We had to figure out who would do something so gruesome and awful. We had to...for the safety of the rest of us. The elevator stops and doors open. It was time for the third class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head gore  
> Neck gore


	20. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone steps out into the trial room. Ash, Tess, and Olivia’s pictures now stood with the others. Ash’s face was blocked out by wands. Olivia and Brittney got normal X’s. Looking at them made me feel a heavy, choking guilt. We all take our places in the stands.

“We’re starting with Tess’s body,” Blaire says softly. “Please...”

“That’s fine...” Brittney says softly. She seemed to be concerned with Blaire. “I...looked over the body. Someone took Olivia’s guitar and beat her head in...”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” I say.

“That didn't mean Olivia did it, right..?” Chet asks meekly. “Like...she didn't kill and then get killed, did she?”

“That sounds pretty far-fetched,” Brittney retorts. “It’s a nice theory but there’s no real backing. We don't even have a way of proving who died first.”

“Yes we do, Brittney,” I say.

”Are you saying I’m wrong?!” she demands.

”Uh...yeah, I am,” I tell her.

”Wrong answer, loser!” she yells.

Great, now I had to deal with this. Whatever, I’d I wanted to get this over with, I had to get through Brittney first.

”We can’t tell who died first!

”Even if we could, who cares?!

”We don’t need to know!

”Brittney, it’s absolutely important to know that!” I say. “We have to figure it out! What are you saying?!”

”It, like, totally is not!”

”We don’t need to know this!”

”And there’s no possible way to know anyway!”

There it was, the flaw in her thoughts! I had to end this! “Let me cut through those words!” I yell out.”

”G-Gah! The hell are you talking about?!” Brittney demands.

”We have to find out who died first and there’s is a way to do it!” I say.

“How do you know that?” Chris asks me. “Did anything point to it?”

I nod. “Of course. The tarp that was laid down under Olivia. Tess died pretty close to it, by none of her blood was on it. So it was out there after she died.”

“What was the point of that tarp, anyway?” Diana asks.

“Messy...murder...” Derek murmurs softly.

“B-But the t-tarp wasn't m-messy,” Craig replies. “S-So why u-use it?”

I frown a little bit and try to think. There just have been a good reason. I just needed to figure it out.

_Why use the tarp?_

To keep the ground from getting messy.

_Why was the tarp so clean?_

Because no blood got on it.

_Why wouldn't any blood get on it?_

Something was there to catch the blood.

_What was used to catch it?_

The water basin I found.

“I think I have the answer!” I declare loudly.

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” Leo replies.

“The blood was caught in something, that’s why there was none on the tarp,” I say. “I found a water basin outside that most likely had the blood in it.”

Blaire’s nose wrinkles a little bit. “God...”

“Wait, I saw that outside,” Diana says. “It was sitting next to the shore, right? There were also the...sharks...”

Derek looks up. “There were sharks?” He seems very excited by the thought of that.

“Yeah, I saw those too,” Brittney agrees. “They were out at the dock. Someone sent them into a frenzy. Some loser probably pissed them off.”

“That would be from the blood,” Leo says. “It does that to sharks, especially if there was a whole person’s worth.”

“I don't see the point in doing any I that in the first place,” Bret points out. “Why take all her blood and feed it to the sharks? Why bother with that little show in the first place?”

“M-Maybe the pr-problem is..T-Tess wasn't m-meant to d-die,” Craig says, tapping his chin gently.

Blaire tenses up at the mention of that and new tears seem to fill her eyes.

“How do you know that?” Chris asks. “I’m sure you have an answer. You wouldn't lie, right?” he grins.

“Mm...y-yeah, I have a-an answer,” Craig says. “If the t-tarp was p-put down to st-stop a mess, and T-Tess was k-killed before the t-tarp was s-set, that means she wasn’t p-part of the p-plan.”

“Well why did Tess show up in the first place?” Chet asks. “I don't see why she would be there.”

“I know why,” I say quickly. “Tess and Blaire had planned on interviewing Leo and Olivia. Tess must have gone to Olivia first. She probably walked in during the middle of the murder and had to be dealt with.”

“There wasn't anything written on that notebook to look to that,” Leo growls at me.

I frown softly. “Yeah, so what?”

Leo’s face gets a toothy grin on it. It didn't seem like a very kind grin. “I bet you’re the one who did it, huh?” He leans forward, grabbing onto his podium. “Innocent little Zach is a bloodthirsty killer.”

“What? H-Hey, that’s not true!” I demand. “What kind of evidence are you even basing that on?!”

“How about you being the first one to warn the others of the body? Just Tess’s body, anyway. I bet you didn't say anything about Olivia so you could lie and try to be innocent,” he demands.

“Back off...” Blaire grumbles. “He’s telling the truth. I went to go get a new camera...”

“Someone clearly ripped pages out of Tess’s notebook,” I add. “They probably took the ones she was going to use.”

Leo frowns a little at what Blaire said and huffs. “Fine, we have the pick. But I still say you’re the one who did it!” Leo demands.

“Thanks...” I grumble softly.

“Okay, so the plan wasn't to do...whatever happened there. So what was the plan?” Chris asks.

“I d-don't know...b-but wasn't the r-rope pr-pretty weird?” Craig says. “Th-The way it was t-tied...”

“It was meant to look like a suicide...wasn't it?” I say.

Diana frowns softly. “That...makes sense. With how distraught Olivia had been lately, I can see why someone would do that...”

“That’s such a terrible thing to do...” Chet murmurs.

“Well clearly it didn't even work,” Brittney adds. “Considering Tess walked in and ruined things.”

“How do we even know the killer didn't plan any of that?” Leo demands. “It could have been the plan from the very beginning!”

“But this whole murder is way too sloppy,” I counter. “There’s no way the killer could have planned it and have it this messed up.”

“But if the killer knew the whole time, maybe it was on purpose,” Leo growls in response. “You knew, right?”

“I think it’s about time we ended this entire thing,” Brt remarks. “I’m getting sick of this. We’ve gone over everything, so I say we pick our killer!”

“Well I still say it's Zach!” Leo snarls. “Anyone who disagrees can answer to my fists!”

I frown a little. There was no way I did it. But...I think I knew who did. The answer was staring me right in the face this entire time!


	21. Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Leo, you seem pretty quick to accuse me,” I demand.

“Well you’re pretty damn suspicious! After all, you claim to have only seen Tess’s body when gets the others,” he retorts.

“That’s because I did,” I answer.

“Well how do we know you didn't just move the curtains to show the body, huh?” he asks.

“...Leo, I think you should be more careful with what you say,” I reply.

He frowns a little bit, snarling. “What was that?! What are you getting at?!”

“Yeah, what are you getting at?” Diana asks me.

Blaire looks up a little. “Oh...I get it...”

Leo’s snarling gets a little loudly. “I think I’d like to be informed of what the fuck everyone is going on about!”

“Gladly!” I exclaim. “Leo, I never said that I only discovered Tess’s body first. And I never told anyone that the curtains had been closed!”

Leo stiffens a little bit. “...yeah well...so what?! I made a few assumptions, big deal!”

“Those are pretty odd assumptions to make...” Chris murmurs softly.

“You never mentioned anything about seeing the body yourself to me,” Blaire says. “And you were there with me before we all say Olivia and Tess together.”

“What?! Are you all agreeing with him now?!” he demands angrily. “That’s fucking rich! We all know you’re trying to deflect this shit off of yourself!”

“Leo, it’s time to fess up and admit you did it!” I shout.

Leo’s lips curl back in a toothy snarl. Something animalistic seems to appear in his eyes. “ARE YOU TRYING TO PIN THIS SHIT ONTO ME?!” he roars out angrily.

I felt a chill run down my spine. Leo was starting to scare me. I think he was scaring the others too.

“Leo...I’m not going to stand down!” I demand.

He starts cackling. “Oh that’s fucking WONDERFUL. The coward grows a goddamn spine! Took him long enough!”

I grit my teeth a little. I needed to end this already. “There’s evidence that points right at you, Leo!” I yell out.

“Oh bullshit!” Leo yells. “There’s nothing like that!”

Leo wasn't going to let me say what I needed without a fight. But I wasn't going to give up while everyone’s lives were at stake! I had to save them! And his was how!

“Leo, there is--”

_“Fuck off!”_

“--the large water--”

_“I’ll tear you apart!”_

“--basin that was--”

_“I’ll fucking gut you!”_

“--filled with blood!” I cry out.

“How the hell is that evidence against me, huh?!” Leo screams. “Anyone could have filled that thing you pathetic jackass! You’re just trying to keep the heat off of your back!”

“No, you've got it wrong!” I cry out.

Leo’s entire body tenses. “The fuck do you mean I've got it wrong?!”

“I don't know anyone here besides the SHSL Zoologist who would try to use animals to dispose of the bodies! That’s why you took the blood and used it on the sharks! You wanted them to make it impossible to distinguish the bodies!” I yell out.

Leo’s rage seems to start boiling over. He was seething now. “You....YOU......YOU--”

“We’re going over this entire case to show what really happened!” I cut in.

“The killer knew Olivia was defenseless. She was an easy target and given her condition, a faked suicide would have been the perfect crime. They overpowered her, tied her up, and gagged her. The curtains were closed and everything was going well. Until Tess walked in. She had wanted an interview. And she didn’t leave either, she's not the type. She probably pulled back the curtains and saw what was going on. So the killer attacked her with Olivia’s guitar. But now they had a problem. There was a new body they couldn’t simply get rid of. And they still had Olivia to deal with, who was probably a witness to the murder now. They put the noose around her feet and hoisted her into the air. Then they get the supplies they needed. A tarp, a knife, and a basin. They lay down the tarp and put the basin under her. Then...they slice open her neck. Once the basin was filled, they took it outside and dumped the blood into the water and stir up the sharks. They clean it and head back inside. They were going to take her down, but I walked in. They still had the curtains closed, so I couldn't see Olivia or the killer. After I left, they leave too in order to find someone that could clear their name if hey needed. But you left the curtains open and we all saw Olivia as we entered,” I explain. “Your plan fell out under you. It’s that right, Leo?!”

Leo was silent for a moment. His entire body was tensed up and his lips stayed curled back in a fierce snarl. But then his body finally starts to relax and he goes back to his usual soft scowl. “Yeah...I did it...” he says softly.

“Fucking hell...” Chris murmurs softly. “Why did you do it?”

Leo’s scowl gets a little harsher and he wraps his arms around himself gently. “...everyone thinks humans are the top of the food chain...because they’re so smart and proper...but humans are the real animals here...”

I frown a tiny bit. “Leo I...don't understand...” I say softly.

“My only friends are animals,” he goes on, ignoring me. “They show me love. They care about me. They treat me right...”

“Leo, if you wanted friends, you could have turned to your classmates for help!” Monomi calls out from her rope. “We’re all here for each other!”

“Cut the sappy stuff!” Monokuma snaps. He grabs a long rod from behind his throne and starts to spin Monomi around with it, making her cry out.

“Monomi is right!” Diana says. “You could have come to any of us if you needed a friend or just someone to talk to!”

“Sh-Shut up...” Leo growls softly. “I don't...want to hear this. What I wanted has been done. What I wanted to protect...is safe...”

Monokuma stops spinning Monomi and sits down. “Sounds like it’s voting time!” he cheers. “Who is the blackened? Will you make the right vociferous or the dreadfully wrong one?!”

We all put our votes in for Leo.

Monokuma cheers happily. “That’s right! Leo King, he SHSL Zoologist, is the killer!”

Leo gives a shaky sigh and runs a hand through his hair. “They’re safe...I don't have to worry now...”

“But can you truly say that for sure?” Monokuma remarks casually.

Leo looks up and then at Monokuma. “What...are you talking about..?”

“It’s just...well...a lot can happen in a few years...” the bear replies ominously.

“What...What does that mean?!” Leo roars. “What are you talking about?! Tell me now!”

“No time for that!” Monokuma cheers. “Because...” He pulls out his hammer. “...IT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down on the button.

The chain flies out and clamps down on Leo’s neck. He screams loudly as he's dragged away. The screen comes out for everyone to see.

**Leo King has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Leo was in a small hallway. The sounds of barking, growling, and snarling filled the hall. Red lights flickered down either end, the only illumination in the otherwise dark hall. The sound of something dripping could he heard, but it was hard to tell what it was.

He looks around, not sure where to go. The barking rang out so it seemed to come from all directions. There's eventually a click and a beep. Cages swing open with loud crashes and the sounds of claws scratching on the floor. Something was coming. Something hungry.

**Dog Days**

Leo clearly panics and makes a run for it, heading away from where he had been facing and away from the sounds of angry animals. The dogs get closer, their barks louder, and he keeps running. He knew what a hungry, ravenous animal was like when it saw something edible. And Leo was extremely edible right now. But he would never fight back and hurt the dogs.

Leo gets to the end of the hall, almost running into the wall. A brick wall that went up to the ceiling blocked his path. There was no door, no windows, not anything he could use to get past it. He was completely trapped now. Nowhere else to run.

The dogs catch up. They had messy fur and red eyes that glow as brightly as the lights keeping the hall illuminated. They weren’t even real. Under the thin fur, metal could be seen. Leo scowls and suddenly looks much more willing to fight. But he had waited too long to decide this.

One gets to Leo and bites down on his leg, pulling him to the floor. He screams and struggles, trying to kick it away and escape. But he couldn’t land a hit. It pulls him into the pack and they swarm him. It was clear he was still fighting against them but he was slowly disappearing fully into the swarming pack.

His screams are drowned out by barking and snapping and chewing and tearing. Blood pools out around the pack of dogs and the screams are eventually silenced. The dogs leave, a pile of clothes, scraps, and some bones sitting on the stained ground. The smallest dog trots off after the pack, carrying an arm in its jaws.

I had to close my eyes and look away Even when I couldn’t see it, I could picture exactly what happened to Leo. I put my hands over my mouth and shudder. How many more times would this happen? How long were we going to be stuck here? Who was going to kill next? Questions swarmed my mind.

“I...I don't understand...why he did it...” Chet says softly.

“I d-don't think we ever w-will,” Craig replies.

Diana just frowns softly, looking away. She seemed to be deep in thought.

“Why didn't you tell him..?” Blaire says to Monokuma. “Why didn't you just tell him?!” I knew why she cared so much. She didn't want Tess’s death to mean nothing.

“Well it's not my fault,” Monokuma defends. “Your little traitor friend would be really upset if I spilled the beans like that.”

“The traitor’s real?!” Derek exclaims.

“Yep! And it's one of you~!” the bear replies.

“Why would the traitor not want us to learn about our pasts..?” I murmur softly. Did it have something to do with what happened to Ash?

“P-Please don't listen to him!” Monomi demands. “None of you are the traitor!”

“Shut it, li’l sis!” Monokuma snaps, hitting her with the metal rod again.

There was no way we were getting more answers now. The others quietly go back to the elevator. I follow after them. No one speaks as we head up. We all go to our separate rooms for the night. I sleep, plagued by nightmares.

**Chapter 3: The Things You Hold Dear Are Friends In the End - Completed!**

Zach, Chet, Bret, Diana, ~~Ace~~ , ~~Ash~~ , Derek, ~~Leo~~ , ~~Tess~~ , Chris, Brittney, ~~Olivia~~ , ~~Karen~~ , Blaire, Craig, ~~Stacy~~


	22. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Daily Life Part I

**Daily Hotel Life - Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down**

I wake up feeling terrible. These damn nightmares were not good for my health. I sit up and yawn, rubbing my eyes. I get ready for the day and head out, tugging my shirt on as I head to the restaurant.

The others were down here eating quietly. No one felt like talking and neither did I. I go get my breakfast and sit down to eat too.

I sit with Craig and Diana as usual. I ate my food quietly with them. 

Blaire was sitting on her own, staring out at the beach quietly. She seems to be doing better than Olivia had so I gave her space for now.

Derek shuffles over to us and sits down, smiling softly. He pulls a candy bar out of his pocket and tries to eat it discreetly.

“Derek, what are you doing?” I ask him.

He puts a finger to his lips to shush me. He gestured to Chris and I look over.

He was sitting next to Chet. The shorter boy was sleeping against him. Chris had a soft smile on his face and an arm wrapped around Chet.

“They sure seem-m to b-be g-getting friendly,” Criag comments.

Derek nods and keeps eating his candy. “Derek, did Chris say you can't eat that?” Diana asks him.

Derek just grins softly and eats it a little faster.

I smile a tiny bit and reach over the table to ruffle his hair. Bret walked in while we were all eating. He goes straight over to Chet. He didn't seem happy.

He nudges Chet forcefully, waking his brother up. Chet looks up at Bret and shrinks back against Chris.

“What did I tell you about being around the street urchins?” Bret hisses angrily.

Chet looks down and tries to hide in Chris’s coat, ashamed. Chris scowls a little and wraps his arm around Chet protectively.

Bret scowls at the two of them before looking away. “Pathetic...” he grumbles.

We all try to ignore him. Blaire didn't seem very focused on him. And Brittney looked disgusted by his presence. But he gets into of a table. “Everyone!” he shouts out in a commanding voice, making us all look at him. “After a long night of thinking, I have discovered the identity of the traitor!”

Now he definitely has our attention. “How did you figure that out, loser?” Brittney says.

He gives a stupid wide smile seeing her pay attention. “Well I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days,” he replies. “But last night is when the pieces came together!”

“Okay, so who is it?” I ask him.

He grins victoriously. “We should be asking you that. Because you’re the traitor, Zach!”

My eyes widen. “Why would you say something like that?!” Diana demands angrily.

Bret chuckles. “Come on! It’s so obvious. He doesn’t even have a talent. We hardly know anything about him! We barely even know where his allegiance lies! He’s clearly the traitor!”

I didn’t like this conversation at all. It made me feel nervous and sick.

Monomi pops up while we were talking. She looked really tired. I didn’t really care all that much. No one else did either. “H-Hey everyone!” she says. “I got the next floor unlocked for you all!” She looks around. No one seems to respond to her.

She sniffles a bit. “You all hate me, don’t you?” she asks us.

Chris gets up. “Yes, we do,” he says. “Now get out.”

Monomi disappears crying. I almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

Bret hops off the table, still smiling victoriously. “Even if not everyone believes me, I know I'm right! And I’ll be sure to prove it! And don't think you can kill me, either. We both know how that’ll look.”

His ominous words weren't making me feel better about anything. Bret looks at Chet. “Come on! Let’s go!”

The submissive twin gets up and hurries over to Bret. The two of them leave the room, probably to go into the elevator.

Diana gently puts a hand over mine and looks at me. “Don't listen to him. We don't think you’re the traitor. Right guys?”

I look around. Brittney and Blaire had already left. Chris was just leaving with Derek in tow.

I put my head in my arms and sigh deeply. Craig pats my back gently.

The two of them eventually got me up and into the elevator to see what we would find on the newly unlocked floor. The door eventually open.

What we find is...nothing. There were no doors. The floor was plain tiles. The walls and ceiling weren’t painted. But we find at the end of one of the halls was...a tunnel slide. It was dark. We couldn’t see very far inside.

The others were here, either looking into the tunnel or looking annoyed and angry. Or both.

“This is weird...” Chet says softly.

Derek walks over to it and peers in. “Hm...” He climbs in a bit and tries to look farther down.

“Hey, that’s not safe little buddy!” Chris says.

Derek looks at him then down the slide again. “It’s okay!” he assures.

“Derek, you really shouldn't be doing that!” Diana says. She hurries over with me and Craig following.

Derek looks back at us. He waves and smiles. Then his eyes widen as his hands slip on the slickened slide. He falls with a small thump onto the stomach and slides down screaming.

“Derek!” Diana yells. She gets to the slide and looks in. His screaming could still be heard but it was getting softer. “I’m coming!” she yells down the slide before climbing in and going after him.

Craig and I get there next. “D-Diana, wait!” he calls down. He climbs in and follows her. I go in next. The slide was dark and long. I had no idea when I was going to get to the end of it.

\-------------

Chris looks down into the slide. “Did...that really just happen?” he asks.

Bret rolls his eyes and walks over. “Shut up and go!” he says before shoving Chris into the slide.

Chris yells out and slides down. Bret climbs in and slides down next. Chet follow right behind him.

Brittney sighs softly. “Stupid losers...” She heads down next. Blaire stares into the slide for a bit before going down too.

\-------------

I land on a soft mat at the bottom of the slide. Craig pulls me to my feet and I move out of the way as the others begin to join us. I look around but it was dark.

“Where are we?” Chet asks nervously.

I just shrug. I had no idea where this was. Then the lights turn on.

The first thing I notice is the massive playground in the center of the room. Slides, swings, monkey bars, tunnels, and everything else you would ever expect to see on a playground. It looked like a massive maze but big enough to fit any of us.

There was a small second floor that went around the room in a circle. Two sets of stairs lead up to an area with nine bedrooms, each one labeled for all of us. There were stone spires lined up on the first floor in a circle in front of the second floor ledge.

The entire room was painted in every color imaginable. It was...loud. The ceiling had a large picture of Usami’s face painted on it. There were three doors in this area. One of them was an elevator and it was to the left. The one directly north of us we labeled Ballpit. The one to the right was labeled Toy Store. Then Monokuma and Monomi pop up.

“Hey, what the hell is going on?!” Brittney says angrily.

Monokuma giggles into his paws. “This is your newest motive!” he cheers. “This place is called Monomi’s Playhouse! And this is where you will stay until I see another body.”

“What kind of motive is that?” I ask. “I’m not afraid of staying in this place!”

The others voice their own agreement. Monokuma looks down, sad. “Aw...and I thought this was a real good one too! I guess you aren’t afraid of starving to death after all.” He starts to giggle again.

Starve...? STARVE?! “Wait, we don’t have any food?!” Blaire says. “Y-You can’t do that to us!”

Monokuma looks up at all of us. His red eye shines. “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, girl!” he roars. “You don’t wanna see me use my claws!” Blaire gulps and nods weakly at the threat.

Monokuma leaves, clearly annoyed. Monomi looks at everyone and quickly runs off too. I sigh softly. So that was the motive this time. I head off to check out the areas.

The Ballpit was...well, exactly what I was expecting. The room was just a massive ball pit with multicolored balls filling it. I had no idea how deep it went and I kind of didn’t want to.

The Toy Store had shelves lined with stuffed animals and blocks and tops and board games and all kinds of stuff. The room itself had an extremely calming feel to it. It was nice.

After looking around, I join the others over at the elevator. “Do you think it goes somewhere?” Diana asks. 

Derek pushes the button and the doors open. “Only one way to find out. Everyone in!” Bret orders.

We all walk into the elevator. The doors close and the elevator goes up. It soon opens and we all step out.

We stepped into another Playhouse it seems. The bedrooms and spires were the same. The color scheme was black and white. Monochrome. Boring. The ceiling had a picture of Monokuma’s face painted on it. In the center of the room was an empty stone building. It was small with one door and two windows on either side. This place...was probably called Monokuma’s Playhouse.

There were three doors in this room. The one to the left was labeled Electronics Room. To our right was the Theater. And directly ahead of us was a File Room. I go check them out.

The Electronics Room was pretty much what I was expecting. Containers filled with all kinds of electronics. Cameras, phones, computers, TVs, and anything else that can be thought of. Most of them didn't seem to work and the ones that did were pretty useless.

The theater was also pretty predictable. There was a concession stand. Sadly, it held no food for us. There was one door in here that led to a viewing room. Monokuma pops up in front of the door. I shriek in surprise and stumble back.

“Do you want to come see my movie?” he asks me. “I worked super hard on it and I need someone to watch it!” His movie, huh? He could have spent a long time on it. He could have even put a lot of love and care into it. Well, there was only one thing I could do. I turn around and walk out of the room.

I ignore Monokuma’s angry cursing and head into the File Room. The room was filled with file cabinets. Most of them were locked but I do manage to get one opened. There was only a single file inside. After a quick read, I realize it was a file about two previous killing games. There were only six survivors each. And both took place in Hope’s Peak Academy.

The first set of survivors were named Makoto Naegi, Toko Fuwaka, Byakuya Togami, Kyoko Kirgiri, Aoi Asahina, and Yasuhiro Hagakure. The second set was Wayne Little, Jessica Winters, Harold Peters, Patrick Morris, Cassidy Wells, and Rick Dallas. The files went into great detail about the events that took place here and the murders. But for whatever reason, it left out who the mastermind was for both of them. How could something like this happen at that school? There was no way!

I decide to take it with me. In the very back of the room was a door. Monokuma pops up. “In there lies mystery,” he says. “But be careful! The Final Dead Room is a very dangerous place. You don’t wanna die in there. That’d just be boring!” Monokuma cackles and leaves. I didn’t like the sound of that room. I leave.

We all meet up again in the stone building. It seems no one found anything else. But I do show them the file I discovered.

“Two killing games...” Chet murmurs softly.

“This is getting insane,” Blaire says. “We probably knew about these before all this crap happened!”

I bet Zach knew the entire time...” Bret mutters softly.

I decide not to acknowledge that. “This was the only kind of information I could find that was new,” I say.

“Well, it's a st-start,” Craig said. He sounded nervous about something.

“So which Playhouse are we going to sleep in?” I ask soon.

Bret glares at me. “Well, I’m not staying in the same one as you, traitor. And neither is Chet! Isn’t that right?” Bret looks at his brother, who nods quickly.

The twins go over to the door.

Brittney follows them with a flip of her hair. Blaire stared at me for a minute before going after them. It hurt a little having them not trust me. I considered them as friends. More so than Bret, anyway.

I look at the others. Diana offers a small smile. “It’s alright, I still trust you,” she says.

Everyone else nods in agreement except for Chris. I think Chris was just sticking around for Derek. At least he cared about someone.

Everyone goes off on their own. I leave to find someone to spend time with and try to distract myself. I find Derek on the playground. He was using one of the swings. He looked even more like a little kid than he already did when he was doing this. I walk over and sit on a swing too. “Can I join you?” I ask him. He nods and smiles. I spend time swinging with Derek. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Derek eventually stops swinging and so do I. He seemed a bit upset. “Something wrong?” I ask him.

He looks at me then back down. “Thinking about past...” he says softly. It really seemed to bother him.

“You wanna talk about it?” I ask him.

He looks down. “Never knew parents...” he finally says. “Grew up alone.” He tugs at his scarf a little bit. “Grew up fast...” he murmurs softly. “Couldn't be kid.” He starts swinging again. “I can’t now...”

I look at him, a little concerned. He seemed to be staring off into the distance. He was fighting with himself, I could tell. About trying to have a childhood and trying to survive.

“Gotta be strong,” he says. I guess Derek had a rough life. Even now, it was pretty rough. I decide to leave him be and go spend time with someone else. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Derek.

I find Brittney in the Ball Pit. She seems to have jumped in to see how deep it went. She surfaces from the plastic balls. She looks at me and tosses a green one at me. It bounces off of my forehead and back into the pit. “Hey, get in here, loser! Let’s have some fun,” she says. “I’m bored as hell and I don't feel like practicing my routines right now!”

I decided it couldn’t hurt and jump into the ball pit. I was surprised by how deep it was and had to keep myself surfaced more carefully. I had a ball fight with Brittney. The two of us grew a little closer today.

The two of us had pelted one another until we got tired. “You know, you’re pretty smart, Brit,” I say. “I’m kind of surprised you...uh...”

“Decided to be a cheerleader?” she asks. “Don't be a pussy about it, I get that a lot. And look it wasn't my idea. Trust me.”

“Then...who's idea was it?” I ask.

“My mother’s, duh,” she replies. “She was one of those popular prep girls in school. Head cheerleader and top dog. Everyone below her was a mutt not worth her time. My dad was some prick jock that peaked in high school and separated from my mom a few years back. They’re both insufferable...”

“Yeesh...sorry to hear that,” I say.

Brittney rolls her eyes. “Makes two of us.” She waves back over to the entrance. “Whatever. I'm out, loser. See ya.” She pulls herself out of the ballpit and walks off. She never did answer me.

I pull myself out too and walk off. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Brittney!

I find Craig in the Toy Store. He was tearing up some teas bears to make himself a larger stuffed dog. I walk over to him and his half completed project. He looks up at me and smiles. “M-Mind giving m-me a hand?” He asks. I smile softly and spend some time helping Craig tear up teddy bears. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Craig finish sewing up the dog and puts his spool and needle into his pocket. The large stuffed dog sat in front of us now. “I’m c-calling him P-Patches,” he says.

I laugh a little bit.

He looks up at me and huffs. “So m-mean.” He pushes me playfully and grins under his hood.

“How’d you get into making this kind of stuff anyway?” I ask him.

He lifts up the dog and hugs it. “Just c-caught my interest. Helped m-me make these c-clothes.”

I look him up and down. Still, couldn't see even a hint of his skin. Why would he ever want to wear stuff like this? I doubt he’d ever tell me. He walks off with his dog. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Craig.

I head to my room, yawning. Then I stop. Four rooms here weren’t being used. So why couldn’t I just go into one of them? I head over to Bret’s room and walk in. 

It looked much more comfortable than mine. But there were lots of pictures and posters hanging on the walls of great leaders. The two that caught my eye was one of Hitler and one of a teenage girl. She looked extremely attractive. I think she was on magazines. Couldn’t remember her name though. Weird that she was here. I crawl into the bed and eventually fall asleep.


	23. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning feeling a hungry pit in my stomach. I look around the room. I sigh softly and sit up. This sucked. I climb out of bed and get ready for the day, heading out of the room.

I decided that since I couldn’t eat anything, I might as well go hang out with someone. Besides, it’d keep my mind off of the hunger. And I could really use a distraction from that.

I find Chet leaving Chris’s room. He had left his door open as he left, not even noticing me. I walk into the room. Chris was sliding his trench coat back on and looks at me. “H-Hey, what are you doing in here?!” He says quickly. He pulls his coat shut and glares at me.

“I-I was just wondering why Chet was in here,” I tell him. “I thought you might have been robbing him...”

He walks over and shuts the door. “We were just cuddling. And you cannot tell Bret under any circumstances! His brother is a loon...” He gives me another glare before sitting on the bed.

Were Chet and Chris..? “Are you two dating?” I ask.

Chris nods. “Yeah. Good job, you figured it out. Want a cookie?” He asks.

Now he was just being rude. “Look, you wanna hang out?” I ask him. He grumbles then nods. I spend time relaxing with Chris. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So...you aren’t dating Chet for any...nefarious purposes, right?” I ask eventually.

Chris looks at me and frowns. “Just because I’m a conman doesn’t mean I don’t fall in love with people, jackass!” he yells angrily.

I guess that was fair. It’s just hard for someone who makes lying and cheating as their living to genuinely fall in love with someone. Especially someone like Chet. But...I shouldn’t judge Chris like that. He was still an alright guy.

“Look, I like Chet, okay?! I actually like him! He's nice to me and...I feel good when I'm around him...” Chris stands up, still a bit angry. “I’m gonna go do something...but get out of my room first.” He shops me out. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Chris.

I enter the Electronics Room to look around. I find Blaire going through the different cameras in there, looking disappointed. I walk over. “Something wrong?” I ask.

She nods. “I need a memory card, but none of these cameras work or have one. It’s kind of sad...” She sets a broken camera down.

“Here, let me help,” I offer. I spend time helping Blaire find something useful. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Blaire finally finds a working camcorder and turns it on. She smiles brightly. “Awesome, it works! And all of these spare memory cards should help us too.” She points the camera at me. “Thanks for the help, Zach!” she says cheerily.

I smile a bit. “Hey, no problem. Happy to help,” I tell her.

Blaire looks at me from behind her new camera. “Maybe this has something to do with your talent. Helping people. Or...being nice to people. Or something...” Her smile falters a bit. She seemed to be running out of ideas for that.

“It’s okay, thanks for trying,” I tell her.

She smiles softly and nods. “I just...don’t like seeing my friends upset. And this thing with Bret calling you the traitor and you not knowing your talent must be getting to you,” she says.

I shrug a little. But honestly, it was. It was upsetting me a lot. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t remember. And I was beginning to worry I may be the traitor and not even know it!

Blaire gives me a little hug. “I hope things work out for you.” She bites her lip a little. “Sorry for siding with Bret earlier,” she says before leaving. The hug helped a little bit. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Blaire.

I find Chet relaxing on a massive teddy bear in the Toy Store. I walk over to him and sit on the bear. He looks at me and smiles, sitting up.

“Hello, Zach!” Chet seemed pretty chipper.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” I say.

He grins and nods. “Chris is doing everything to keep me happy and Bret promises he has a plan to get us out of here! His plans are the best since he is the SHSL Leader! I know it’ll work in the end! I can count on my luck for that!”

I guess it doesn’t take much to reassure Chet. I decide to hang out with Chet for a while. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So I’m guessing Bret makes plans all the time, huh?” I ask Chet.

He smiles and nods. “Yeah! They usually involve me...but I make them work! If I’m a part of them, my luck makes sure it all works out in the end for me! So his plans always work as long as I want the same outcome as him!” he says.

Does this mean they fail when Chet and Bret have different opinions on it? It seems Chet’s luck only worked in favor of him. That can't be good for other people. But Chet didn’t seem to be the type to do that in purpose. Or at least want to.

“So your luck doesn't work on other people, huh?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “No, not really. Sometimes it doesn't even work for me though. It's not like I get good luck all the time. If I did, I wouldn't be here.”

I suppose that made sense to me. Luck was a complicated topic I guess.

I say my goodbyes and decide to head to bed for the night as my hunger pains get worse. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Chet.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I found it hard to sleep that night. When I did manage to finally pass out, it was an empty and restless sleep.

\------------

The next day, I didn’t feel like getting up. My stomach hurt too much and I was tired from the hunger. I really needed some food. My mind wanders for a while, and eat some point, I did too. I eventually ended up outside the door to the Final Dead Room.

If I went in there, maybe I could find the exit. Or some food. Or anything. Something I could use to save the others. If I did this, I could finally do something useful! Do something for the others! All I had to do was go into this room. I reach for the doorknob...but someone grabs my hand.

I look at who it was. It was Craig. He seemed to be worried. “Z-Zach, what are y-you d-doing?” He asks me.

I look at him, to the door, then back to him. “I-I was going to help the others!” I tell him quickly.

He frowns under his hood. “Z-Zach, that's what th-the b-bear what's you t-to do. D-Don't go in there.”

“But what if there’s food?!” I demand. “Or a way back out?! Or...Or...I don't know! There must be something! It's the only place we haven't looked!”

Craig shakes his head. “You w-won’t help anyone b-by g-getting yourself k-killed! I d-don’t want t-to see you d-die a p-pointless d-death! So d-don’t give up on h-hope so e-easily!” He says loudly.

“...” I know he was right. I was giving up too easily. This is exactly what Monokuma wanted. Even if I did survive it, there was no exit or food on the other side. Monokuma wouldn’t make it that easy after all.

My shoulders slump a bit and my dazed look gets a little more cloudy. “Sorry, Craig...” I say softly. “You’re right. I’m just...not thinking straight. I’m going to go to bed,” I say. Craig nods and leads me to my room. I go to sleep for the night.


	24. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Daily Life Part III

I wake up with stabbing pains in my stomach. All this time with no food was getting to me. I get up and head out of my room. If I didn’t stay active, I might pass out again. Or start making bad choices.

As I left my room, Monokuma called everyone to Monomi’s Playhouse. We all head there before I could get to talk to anyone.

Monokuma was standing on the very top of the playground in the center. “Hello, students~! We have something very special planned today~!” he calls down to all of us.

“No one cares!” Blaire yells back at him.

“Good, then you get to go first!” He shouts back. “This playground, as crazy as it looks, has one way in and one way out. Each and everyone one of you is going to go through it until you find the exit! And you need to do it as fast as possible. If you don't, I'll gladly give you an...insentive~!”

“What..? Why?!” Brittney snaps angrily.

“This motive is too long and boring!” Monokuma whines. “So we’re going to have some fun!” He blows into a whistle he held. “Now! Start climbing!”

Blaire went first like she was instructed. She spent half an hour inside the thing before tumbling out the other end. She crawls away from it and collapses nearby, panting.

I already wasn't in the right mind and felt weak from all of this. And now I was being told to go through a maze of a playground as fast as possible?! I wouldn't last long like this.

Everyone went through the playground. I was the last to go through and I just curled up at the end of it, wrapping my arms around my stomach and groaning softly.

Monokuma cackles happily. “Expect to do this every day until I see a body!” He hopes off the playground and disappears. Everyone, now more exhausted than before, managed to hobble off to sulk on their own.

I eventually got up slowly and went off as well. I needed a distraction badly...

After looking for someone to spend my time with, I end up with Derek in the Toy Store. He was playing with a jack-in-the-box. He seemed a bit bored. I walk over and sit next to him.

He looks at me as the box pops open. “Hello...” he says softly. He seemed pretty tired. Must be this motive. He leans against me a bit and eventually falls asleep. I shouldn’t be letting him pass out like that. I spend some time doing my best to keep Derek awake. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Derek was playing with a teddy bear right now. Everything he did reminded me of a child. Was he really the age he claims he was? “How old are you?” I ask Derek.

He looks up at me and frowns. “Sixteen,” he says softly. There’s no way that was right.

“Are you lying?” I ask. He sets the bear down and turns to me. “No!” he demands, a bit angry. “I’m sixteen!” He stomps his foot down like that would make me believe him.

“Then why do you act like a child all the time?” I insist.

He opens his mouth to say something but it slowly closes. “...never had childhood,” he says softly eventually. “But I wanna!” he adds quickly. “Even now...” He looks down a little. “But...this game...” he says. His hands curl into fists. “G-Gotta grow up...” he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Or die...” He tears up a little bit and dries his eyes. Those must be the rules he grew up on.

I gently place a hand on Derek’s shoulder. He looks up at me. “I’m not going to let you die,” I tell him. “You don’t need to force yourself to do this again. Be yourself, whoever that is. I’ll be sure we all get out together,” I tell him.

He smiles brightly. “Promise?!” He asks excitedly.

I smile a bit and nod. He hugs me tightly. “Thanks!” He lets go and heads off, now in a far better mood. My handbook beeps. I gained all of the Hope Fragments for Derek!

I go off and find Bret in the File Room. He was going through the cabinets in search of anything useful. He looks at me as I enter and scowls. He snaps his fingers. “Hey, help me look around!” he orders. And before I knew it, I was searching through the cabinets with Bret. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He sighs and slams the last cabinet shut. We had found nothing except for that file on the two killing games, but we all knew about it already. This was pointless.

Bret kicks one of the filing cabinets angrily. “Damn it! This has been a waste of my precious time!” he yells angrily. He kicks it again.

I guess he was the type to make sure every second was used in a way that benefited him. I couldn’t say that surprised me.

Bret calms himself down and sighs deeply. “Thanks for the help...I guess...” he mutters.

Did...Did he just thank me? He looks away and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Don’t think this makes us friends. I just appreciate the help. That’s all.” I nod a little bit and he walks over. “Hey...if something happens to me, you and the others watch over Chet, would ya? He won’t be able to make it alone so...just make sure he’s kept in good shape for me. If you are the traitor...I don't have a choice,” he says.

I nod again and he smiles a bit, heading out. I guess when all was said and done, Bret cared deeply about his brother. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Bret.

I find Craig in the Electronics Room. He was testing out the different laptops and such, trying to see if they would turn on and work. I walk over to him as he tosses a broken one aside. He looks at me and smiles under his hood. “H-Hey, Z-Zach!” he says happily. “M-Mind lending m-me a hand? I’m t-trying to g-get a working lap-p-ptop and see i-if anything is on-n it.”

I nod and smile. “You go it, Craig.” I spend time going through the laptops with Craig. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He sighs and tosses another broken one aside. We were making an impressive pile of useless junk. He looks at me as I throw another laptop onto the pile. “A-Any p-progress on f-finding out y-your t-talent?” he asks me. 

I sigh softly and shake my head. “No, not really.” I think for a moment. Should I tell him that I think I’m the traitor? Can I confide in him? He’s never given me any reason not to trust him. I decided I might as well. “Craig, I think I’m--” I begin, but he starts talking too.

“You’re n-not the t-traitor,” he says. “I kn-know that’s b-been on your m-mind. It’s wh-why you tr-tried to g-go into that r-room. B-But it’s n-not you. I kn-know it.” I knew he was giving me a reassuring smile under his hood.

It...made me feel much better. I yawn softly. I was getting exhausted. I had to get some sleep. I tell Craig goodnight and leave. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Craig.

I smile and head to bed. My smile falters as I get there and collapse on my bed. I felt weak. This was too much in me today.

\-------------

After a few more hours of searching, Craig finally found a laptop that turned on. It cast the room in a gentle glow. Someone taps his shoulder and he looks back. It was Chris. He smiles and moves so Chris could see the laptop.

“What are you up to?” Chris asks him, looking at the screen.

“Tr-Trying to get something help-p-pful,” Craig replies. “And l-look, I g-got one that w-works! L-Let’s check it ou-out to s-see what k-kind of i-info is on i-it,” he tells the taller boy. Chris nods and the two of them go through the only file on the laptop.

They both frowned at what they saw.

“What the fuck?!” Chris says. It was a file about something called The Tragedy. A massive war that’s broken out across the entire planet. A war simply for the sake of war. “This...can’t be true...” he says softly.

Craig looks up at him then back down to the laptop. “We h-have to t-tell the o-others,” Craig says.

Chris nods in agreement. “In the morning,” he says. “Everyone is asleep right now after how exhausting today was and we should be too.”

Craig nods in agreement and the two head of to bed for the night.


	25. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

I wake up in the morning and...my room was dark. I couldn’t see anything. I sit up quickly. Something had to be wrong. I get up carefully and feel my way out of the room and into the main area.

Downstairs, I could see a light at the elevator. Using the wall as my guide, I quickly head down and towards whoever it was. As I approach, they turn the light to me.

“Zach?” Derek asks.

I nod, shielding my eye from his flashlight.

He moves it away from my face and hands me one. I turn it on and point it at the elevator. He had taken off the panel with the buttons and was messing with the wires.

I look down at him. “Derek, what the hell are you doing?!” I ask him.

He frowns a little. “I-It wasn’t working!” he says. “Trying to fix...”

Did Derek know anything about electronics? Well...I guess a thief would know something.

Derek sighs softly. “Others looking around...” He points the flashlight back to me. “See Chris yet?” he asks me.

I shake my head. Derek nods and leans against one of the stone spires. Then he frowns and stands up straight again.

“Something wrong, Derek?” I ask him.

He nods a little bit. “It’s wet...” he says softly. He turns around and points the flashlight at the spire. It was stained in a red liquid dripping down from the top.

Slowly, me and him point our flashlights at the top of the spire. Derek’s eyes widen and he screams loudly.

On the spire, impaled through the stomach, was Chris. His blood soaked the spire below him, the top of it poking through him completely. His eyes were opened wide in shock. Now...they were empty and hollow.

I pull Derek close, keeping him from seeing the body. The others run out, seeing the body almost immediately. And then the body discovery announcement plays. What we were seeing...was reality. Chris Underwood, the SHSL Con Artist, was dead.

**Killing Hotel Life - Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down**

Derek was sobbing into my chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. Breathing was a little hard, but I wasn’t about to tell him to let go. Diana and Craig stood next to me after running out of the File Room. They looked sick

“Was it one of us?” Diana asks. “Could...Could someone from the other room have gotten in here?”

I didn’t answer her. I didn’t have one. I had no idea what we were going to do.

Monokuma appears and hands each of us a bag. I open it. It was food! “You kids eat up,” he says. “You’ll need your energy for the investigation!” He leaves. I hardly heard him as I start eating my food quickly.

Once I finish eating my food, I gently pry Derek off of me and take him to Diana. “Can you watch after him and calm him down?” I ask her. She nods and heads off with Derek. I begin investigating.

I look up at Chris’s body. If there was any evidence on it, there was no way I would be able to reach it. So I’d just have to hope there was none.

Looking at the railing of the banister, I notice it had been bent severely. A lot of force must have been used to knock Chris off from up there.

Craig walks out of one of the bedrooms. I’m pretty sure it was Chris’s. He was holding a broken laptop.

“Why was that in there?” I ask.

“...it’s...s-something we n-need t-to talk ab-b-bout later...but for n-now, I'll s-say it was imp-p-portant. Ab-b-bout the outside w-world,” he murmurs.

The outside world? Then why would anyone smash it?

I found something inside of the small concrete house. It was a baseball bat. It looked like someone had just throw it inside.

Another baseball bat was inside my bedroom. I didn't know why that was there.

“What are these doing here?” I murmur. I hadn’t seen these yet...but there was one place I haven’t seen yet. I head to the File Room.

The Final Dead Room door was wide open. Going in here...could mean certain death. But if we were going to find out who did this, I had to go in. I walk through the door and down the dark hall.

I come to a small room. There was a bookshelf to the left, a small safe under a table with a lamp, some cardboard boxes stacked up, a door on the other end of the room and...Monomi?!

I look down at her. “Monomi...what are you doing in here..?” I ask her.

She looks up at me and sniffles. “Monokuma threw me in here! The big meanie!” she wails.

I sigh softly. Stuck in a room with her...even more of a reason to get this over with.

“So how do we get out of here?” I ask her.

She points to the door. “You have to find the three letter code for the lock and a key!” she tells me. She hands me a small slip of paper. “I found this under the desk! It was torn in half and had two numbers on it.” I look at the safe. It must be for that.

“Hey Monomi, go through those boxes while I search around, okay?” I ask her.

She nods and opens a box. It was filled with styrofoam peanuts. She hops in and looks through it while I begin going through the books.

None of them held any particularly interesting information. But a scrap of paper does flutter out of one. I pick it up. It was the other half of the safe code. During my search of the bookshelf, I noticed a small compartment with a keyhole.

I go over to the safe and put in the numbers. It pops open and I pull out a key and a piece of paper with the letter T written on it. I try the key on the compartment, but it doesn’t fit. I use it on the door and it works. Now I needed to find the other key and two letters.

Monomi pops out of a box with another key. She hands it to me and I use it on the compartment. It pops open and I pull a scrap of paper with the letter I on it.

Monomi goes through the rest of the boxes but finds nothing else. I sigh and begin to go through the room once more. I push over the lamp and find paper under it. I pick up the last scrap of paper. It had an R on it.

I put the letters in a few times until I finally get the correct order. T-R-I. The door opens up for me and I walk through with Monomi.

We enter a new room. There was another door. The only thing in here was a table with a gun on it and some bullets. A sign over the door read “Russian Roulette”. I look down at the gun and frown.

Monomi watches me pick it up. “D-Don’t do anything rash!” she warns me quickly.

I look at her then back at the gun. I slide in one bullet and spin the barrel.

I put the gun to my head. My hand was shaking. I felt sick and nervous. But I had to do this! I pull the trigger and...click! No bullet. The door swings open and I walk inside.

The new room looked like some kind of weapon storage unit. There were all kinds of stuff here from guns to bombs and poisons. There was a rack of baseballs bats. Two were missing. I find a fuse box and flip the switches that had been off. That should turn on the elevator and the power.

There was a shelf with two sets of night-vision giggles tossed onto it carelessly, like they had been thrown there in a rush.

I find a small file from the school that was laying on the floor and pick it up. As I flip through it, I realize it was a student profile. There was info on all of us. When I get to my profile...I nearly drop the file.

According to the page, I was a member of the Reserve Course. I was a completely normal student. I had no talent to speak of. My profile was almost entirely empty, only holding information I already knew about.

This...couldn’t be right. Why would I be here with all of these talented students if I didn’t have a talent? Unless...I really was the traitor...

I put the file down. I didn't want to touch it anymore. I look for a way out and find a hatch in the floor. I open it up. It was dark and I didn’t see a ladder or anything. I sigh softly and hop down.

I scream as I fall. I land in the Ballpit, the colorful, plastic balls flying around me as I land. I surface in the pile and manage to get myself to the door.

I find Brittney, Blaire, and the twins waiting by the elevator. They all run over to me as I enter and I was quick to explain the situation. Chet looks absolutely heartbroken as I spill the news. But he had to know.

Bret looks to his brother and frowns softly. He wraps an arm around Chet’s shoulder. “Sorry, Chet...” he says softly. “I know you loved him.” The trial announcement plays. We head into the elevator. The others soon meet up with us and the elevator goes down.

Another one of us was dead. The clues were there and we had to piece them together. Chris being dead has deeply hurt two of my friends and I was going to find the killer. For Chris. For Derek. For Chet. For all of us. The elevator stops and the doors slide open. It was time for the fourth class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chest gore


	26. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone heads over to their respective podiums. Leo and Chris’s pictures had been added to their stands. It looked like someone had taken a few bites out of it Leo’s portrait.

“We need to decide how to start this with half of the people not even present,” Diana says.

“No, don’t bother waiting for us,” Brittney replies. “You guys start. We’ll waste time if you guys sit here and explain everything. We can keep up, we aren't stupid.” She looks at Bret. “Most of us, anyway...”

Blaire and Bret nod in agreement. I don't think Bret registered Brittney’s comment. Chet was silent for a moment before nodding softly.

Derek sniffles softly. “Okay...um...body...” he murmurs quietly.

“Right, the body,” I say. “We...We found Chris impaled on one of those stone spires through his stomach.”

“Jesus Christ...” Blaire says. Chet shudders and wraps his arms around himself tightly.

“How could he end up on one of those things?” Bret asks. “There's no way to climb them and he couldn't have been carried up them.”

“He wouldn't have to climb them if he was knocked off of the second floor,” I determine.

“So someone shoved him off the banister and onto a spire?” Blaire asks. “That’s a pretty convicted way to kill him...”

“B-But he's r-right,” Craig says. “I s-saw the d-dented b-banister t-too.”

“Dented banister...” Blaire says. “You guys didn't mention that before...”

“If they dented the banister there must have been a lot of force when knocking him back,” Brittney says, scowling. “What disgusting loser would do this..?”

“Is that all you guys could find on his body?” Bret asks us.

“We couldn't get to the body, so that's all we have,” Diana explains.

“We should talk about how he fell then. It seems like the next course of action,” Blaire decides.

“Could’ve been pushed...” Derek murmurs quietly.

“No, I think something else happened,” I say.

“Y-You saw them, t-too?” Craig asks me.

“If you’re talking about the baseball bats, then yes,” I say.

“Baseball bats?!” Bret says quickly. “Where did those come from?!”

“They would have to come from the Final Dead Room,” Diana says. “It’s the only place that could potentially hold those things.”

“Someone went in?” Derek asks. He frowns a little and looks down. “...just to kill...”

“But how can we know that's the case? What if the bear gave out the baseball bats or the killer already had them?” Bret counters.

“Because...I went inside during the investigation,” I say. “And I saw the missing baseball bats.”

You went into the Final Dead Room?!” Diana asks in shock.

“I wanted to help...and I did!” I say.

“Sounds suspicious if you ask me...” Bret murmurs.

“The Final Dead Room was in Monokuma’s Playhouse,” Brittney says. “So...that means it had to be someone from there, right? Because the elevator was shut down.”

“It has to be!” Bret declares. “There’s no other way into the rooms besides the elevator!”

“No, that’s not true!” I cut in. 

Bret looks at me, scowling. “You know, I’m getting real tired of your shit, Zach!”

”And I’m tired of you constantly getting in the way during trials!” I reply.

”That’s it, you little twerp! I’ll prove I’m right for once!” He yells.

I knew antagonizing Bret was a bit idea, but he needed to stop getting in the way of the trials. It was time to put an end to this!

“The Final Dead Room is in Monokuma’s Playhouse!”

“That’s the only enterance in there!”

”So what the fuck is your point here?!”

”It’s true that the only way in is from Monokuma’s Playhouse,” I say. “And I can see why you think this. But...”

”But nothing, Zach!”

”The elevator was shut down, remember?!”

”There was no way to the other playhouse!”

And with that, I saw he flame in his logic. The only way to end this. “Let me cut through those words!” I yell

”Huh..? What are you going on about?!” Zach demands.

”In the Final Dead Room, there was a hatch in the floor. It leads directly to the ballpit in Monomi’s Playhouse!” 

“So the k-killer wouldn't n-need the elevat-t-tor to g-get out-t-t,” Craig adds.

“That is the opposite of helpful,” Bret says. “Now we’re right back to suspecting anyone!”

“So the lights...” Derek murmurs softly, thinking. “...breakers in room?”

“That would mean whoever used them went into the room and left,” Diana says.

“They wouldn't have to do whatever they do in there again if they won the first time, would they?” Brittney asks.

“Course not!” Monokuma cuts in. “No point in that, that makes it way too easy!”

“So if anyone did want to make a getaway through there after the murder, that makes it far easier,” Blaire says.

“C-Can I br-bring up something imp-p-portant?” Craig asks.

“Of course!” Derek says quickly.

Craig nods. “Th-There was a lap-p-ptop I found with someth-th-thing on it. B-But I found it d-destroyed in his r-room.”

“Well what was in it?!” Bret demands.

Craig seems to hesitate for a moment. “...well...i-it was...ab-b-bout a war that d-destroyed the w-world c-called the Tr-Tragedy. A w-war fought for w-war with n-no r-reason or end.”

“What...What are you talking about?!” I say in shock.

“Craig, no!” Monomi yells from her rope. “Don't tell them about that!”

“Shut it, li’l sis!” Monokuma snaps. He leaps up and punches her hard in the face. She screams as she begins to fly around on her rope. But everyone ignores them.

“I don't remember ever hearing about something like that!” Bret snaps angrily.

“Monomi must have taken that from it memory...” Diana replied quietly.

“Laptop was destroyed...” Derek says softly, thinking hard. “...by the...traitor..?”

The room became deafeningly silent as he said that. He shrinks back in his podium and looks down. “I-I’m sorry!”

“No, you made a good point,” Bret interjects. “The traitor probably found the laptop and destroyed it before anyone else could read it. Zach, did you ever mention where those baseball bats were found?”

“Well one has been tossed into the stone building. The other was sitting against the wall of my bedroom,” I say.

“Pretty suspicious...” Bret murmurs, smirking deviously.

“Huh?! Are you to say I did this?! Why would I leave evidence that points right at me and then tell everyone about it!” I demand.

“I don't know what your reasonings are, I only notice the evidence,” he replies.

“But there’s two!” Derek interjects.

“So what?!” Bret spits.

“He has a point,” Blaire says. “Zach couldn't possibly have used two bats efficiently. So where was there two of them?”

I frown softly. I hadn’t even thought about that. There must be a reason for it. I just had to think about it.

_Why would there be two baseball bats?_

Because the killer used them.

_Why would one killer need both?_

They wouldn't.

_Why would there be two then?_

There would have to be more than one person using a bat.

_How many killers would there be?_

There would have to be two.

“I know the answer!” I yell out suddenly. “There were two baseball bats not because we have one killer. But because we have two!”

“Two killers?!” Brittney exclaims. “How will we even pick from that?! This is just like that first stupid trial but worse! This is way uncool!”

I think I already knew. The answers were there and they were coming together in my head. All I had to do was prove I was right about the killers being..!


	27. Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Chet, you’ve been awfully quiet during this entire trial,” I say.

Chet looks up suddenly at me. He looked panicked that I suddenly called him out.

“Leave him alone, he's just grieving!” Bret snaps. “He lost his boyfriend!”

“That's another thing,” I go on. “You mentioned you knew Chet loved Chris before the trial too. The only problem is...they were keeping it a secret from you!”

Bret scowls. “Well, he told me last night! Big deal!”

“Well he has a point,” Diana says. “Chet has been very quiet this entire trial. Derek seemed more broken up about this than he did and he's been helping the entire time.”

Derek nods quickly. “I gotta help!” he exclaims.

“Hey, how about you back off my brother!” Bret shouts angrily.

“Chet hasn't said a single thing today,” Brittney says. “Nothing since we woke up. His disgusting creep of a brother has been talking for him.”

Chet was starting to shake and he was hugging himself tightly.

“If there’s something you want to say, Chet, then say it. Don't let anyone bully you into being quiet!” I demand.

Chet starts to tear up and slowly opens his mouth to say something. But Bret cuts it.

“He has nothing to say!” Bret yells. “How about you leave him the fuck alone before I--!”

“I-I can’t...do this anymore...” Chet says weakly. Bret looks at his brother, confused.

“Chet, what are you talking about?!” he snaps.

Tears were starting to trickle down Chet’s cheeks. But he didn't address his brother. “I...I didn't want to do it. He told me to do it! He made me! I didn't want to! I don't want to do this anymore! I can't do it!” He starts to break down at his podium, falling to his knees and crying hysterically.

“Look at what you did!” Bret yells. “Why can't you just leave Chet alone?!”

“Chet, who is he?” I demand. “Who made you do this?”

Chet keeps crying at his podium. I wasn't sure if he even heard me.

“His do we know he isn't talking about you, asshole?!” Bret retorts. “You’re the damn traitor after all! You’re the one that broke that laptop Chris's me Craig found!”

I frown softly. “Hold on...how did you know Chris found that laptop with Craig?” I ask.

“What..? Because Craig said so!” he yells.

“N-No I didn't,” Craig replied. “I-I said th-that I found it.

“Hey creep, how would you know Chris and Craig both found the laptop, huh?” Brittney asks.

Bret grits his teeth. “I...made an assumption! The damn thing was in his room! Hell, for all we know, he was the one who smashed it! But don't forget the baseball bat found outside your bedroom, Zach!”

“Bret we both know that isn't true!” I shout. “And I'm going to prove it right now!”

“You won't be able to prove jackshit!” Bret screams.

I knew there was no way Bret was going to let up. I had to end this once and for all!

“Bret, I wasn't--”

_“Stop talking, worm!”_

“--sleeping in my room--”

_“Do as I say!”_

“--because I had been--”

_“I’m in charge here!”_

“--using your bedroom!” I yell out.

“You’re full of shit and you know it!” Bret screams. “You can't prove that to anyone with the lights off! There’s nothing else that point to me and Chet anyway!”

“No, you’ve got it wrong!” I cry out loudly.

Bret starts to look worried. “What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“In the Final Dead Room, two pairs of night vision goggles had been thrown onto rack they came from. There’s no reason for two to have been used and put back unless the two killers had escaped through the hatch in the floor because they shut off the power!”

Bret was completely silent but I could see his face twisting into a look of rage. Chet was still sobbing where he stood, unable to respond to anything. Seeing the two next to each other was like staring at yin and yang.

“I saw it's about time we wrapped this whole thing up!” I shout.

“The plan to kill has probably been going on for a couple days with one killer convincing, or ordering, the other to help. The killer in charge of the whole thing had watched Chris's and Craig find the laptop and decided to try to use that to frame the traitor and point fingers away from them. During the night, both killers entered Monomi’s playhouse and went into the Final Dead Room. There, they found more than enough things to use. They shut off the power and grabbed two night-vision goggles and two baseball bats, one for each. They went back to Chris’s room. They got him out, probably by knocking. He couldn't see anything in the dark which made it easy for the killers to attack him with the back and send him over the edge of the railing and right onto the spire below. There’s no telling if they knew he would fall like that or not, but they killed him. Then they went back through the Final Dead Room, dropping off the bats before the hand. The panicked one, the killer told what to do, threw theirs into the building. The collected one, the one leading it all, put theirs next to my bedroom without knowing I was sleeping in their room. Once they got to the Final Dead Room, they abandoned their night vision goggles and used the hatch to return to Monokuma’s Playhouse,” I explain. “So...Bret...Chet...did I miss anything?!”

By this point both of them had gone completely silent and were just listening to me talk.

Bret scowls. “Damn right you did! It wasn't u--”

“Please stop...” Chet says softly.

Bret looks down at him and his features soften. “What are you talking about..?”

Chet sniffles and stands up slowly. “I don't want to do this anymore, Bret...he figured it out...there’s no point...”

“Why Chris..?” Derek asks softly.

“Why Chris..?” Bret repeats. “Why Chris?! Because he was in the way!” he screams. “That bastard was standing in the way of getting me and Chet out! He had to fucking die so we could leave! HE WAS GOING TO TAKE MY BROTHER AWAY FROM ME!”

Everyone was silent, including Chet, who just stared at the floor with tearful eyes.

“Well it doesn't matter now...” I say softly. “It's over...”

Bret grits his teeth and looks back at the rest of us. “My plan was foolproof! You would have thought the traitor did it and Chet and I would have been in the clean!”

“Not quite~!” Monokuma says from his throne.

Both twins look at the bear now, confused looks on their faces. “What are you talking about?!” Bret demands. “Chet and I killed him at the same time!”

“Hm...did you?” Monokuma questions. “My security feed says different!”

A screen comes out showing last night. We could all see Bret and Chet swing their bats at Chris, who was pressed against the railing in the dark. The camera zooms in and slows down so we could watch. We see Chet’s bat slam into Chris’s stomach before Bret’s touched him. But when Bret finally hit Chris, it bent the railing and sent him flying over it. Then the video feed cuts out.

Bret stares at the screen, dumbfounded.

“Lets vote then!” Monokuma says before either twin could comment on what they saw. “Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?”

Everyone puts their votes in for Bret. Only Bret.

“That's right!” Monokuma cheers. “Bret Barns, the SHSL Leader, is the sole killer!”

“The...sole killer..?” Bret repeats softly. “So...even if I managed to win...”

“Chet would have died anyway!” Monokuma finishes for in.

Bret seems to grow angry again and this time is was directed at Chet. “You fucked it up again! Every time I try to help both of us you just fuck up everything! You could have died! You would have ruined it all!”

Chet whimpers softly. “I-I’m sorry...”

“Hey Bret!” Brittney calls out.

He looks at her and a hopeful, desperate smile crosses his face. “Yes, Brittney?! I love it when you say my name!”

She had a cold, emotionless expression on her face. It sent a chill down my spine. “You’re a disgusting freak of a human that's barely worth walking the same ground I do. You deserve to die like the pig you are.”

Bret’s smile was wiped off his face in an instant.

“Enough of that!” Monokuma shouts. “I’m getting bored!” He pulls out the hammer. Chet’s eyes widen.

“N-No, wait! I still helped kill him! I-I was an accomplice! Kill me too!” Chet yells suddenly.

Bret scowls. “Chet, what are you--?!”

“Nope!” Monokuma says. “Bret is the only true killer so he is the only one that will be punished!”

“No! Please punish me too!” Chet demands.

“Hm...well...alright~!” the bear says.

Chet smiles. “Really?!”

“You’re punishment is watching your brother die!” Monokuma shouts. “Now let's give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIIME!”

Chet screams as Monokuma slams the mallet down on the button. A chain flies out and grabs Bret. It drags him off before Chet would do anything. A screen comes out for us all to see.

**Bret Barns has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Bret and Monokuma stood on two sides of a large field. In front of them were control panels with buttons and levers on it. Some buttons flashed and some had labels on them saying what they all did.

Two massive robots stood on the field. One was painted black and white and had bear ears and a muzzle. The other one looked like a very plain human-like robot with no interesting features on it. Both opponents look down at their control panels. Bret was the first to push the start button.

**Brain vs Brawn: Ultimate Smackdown**

Bret grabs a lever and pushes it forward and presses a button. His robot runs forward and punches Monokuma's hard in the stomach. The latter stumbles backward a few steps. Monokuma gets a large grin and raises both paws. He starts mashing buttons and pulling levers randomly.

Monokuma’s robot’s chest flies open and missiles fly out. Bret looks down at his controls, trying to find the buttons that would make it dodge. But he was far too slow. Bret's robot is struck with all of the missiles, covered in a plume of smoke and debris. It stumbles back wildly, looking like it might collapse

Bret tries to do something, panic crossing his features, but his robot was unbalanced and useless like this. Anything he pressed wouldn’t register. Monokuma mashed more buttons wildly and his robot runs to Bret’s and then punched hard. It stumbles back more and starts to wobble dangerously. Bret was still desperately trying to make it move or retaliate.

Before Bret could get his robot to respond again and attack, Monokuma slams his paw down on a large button. His robot runs over with amazing speed and knocks the head off of Bret’s robot with an extremely powerful uppercut. The head flies up into the air and disappears from sight.

The robot sways slowly and then falls back. Bret shields himself with his arms as the massive, headless robot collapses in front of him. It pushes up a massive cloud of dust and dirt as it barely misses him. He slowly lowers his arms and begins to laughs, fear washing away to relief. A dark shadow looms over him as he relishes in his slight victory and he quickly looks up. The head of his robot lands on him before he could react, crushing him under it.

We all watch in silent horror as Bret is executed. I don’t know how many more of these awful things I could watch before I lost my mind entirely.

I look towards Chet finally. His head was hung low and it sounded like he was crying again. I walk over to him and gently put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Chet...”

He looks up at me and I pull my hand away.

Tears continued to run down Chet’s face, but he had a wide grin and was laughing. There was a crazed look in his eyes. The same one I saw in Ash before he died. Nothing but despair and madness swirled int hem. “They’re...both gone...ahaha...dead. Dead...dead...dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD! AHAHAHAHA!”

“Ch-Chet..?” I say softly, backing away from him.

The others look over, now scared and worried. Chet turns to all of us. “This feeling...it’s so...familiar. So amazing. The feeling of soul-crushing despair. The kind that engulfs your entire being and leaves nothing behind. I’ve missed this feeling!”

I move back until I’m standing with the others, watching Chet. He has absolutely lost his mind. “I’m going to reveal the traitor,” he says to us all. “And no one will stand in my way...no matter what I have to do!” He leaves the room, laughing hysterically.

“H-He’s gone completely batshit crazy!” Brittney yells.

I look at Diana. Even she looked too afraid of him to do anything. “We...should go to bed,” she says. “We can deal with this tomorrow. I don’t think he'll try anything yet.” She heads to the elevator.

We all follow her hesitantly. But she was the expert after all.

We ride the elevator up in silence and everyone heads to their rooms for the night. Like usual, my dreams are plagued with nightmares. Something rattled around in the vents above me as I slept.

**Chapter 4: Nowhere To Go But Down, Down, Down - Completed!**

Zach, Chet, ~~Bret~~ , Diana, ~~Ace~~ , ~~Ash~~ , Derek, ~~Leo~~ , ~~Tess~~ , ~~Chris~~ , Brittney, ~~Olivia~~ , ~~Karen~~ , Blaire, Craig, ~~Stacy~~


	28. Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Daily Life Part I

**Daily Hotel Life: Chapter 5 - Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under!**

I wake up in the morning, still feeling exhausted. I pull myself out of bed to get ready for the day when I noticed something. Derek was curled up against me, eyes half open. He looks up at me as I moved but didn't say anything.

I sigh softly and generally get him out of bed. “I’m going to get ready, meet me in the cafeteria, okay?” I say.

Derek nods softly and wanders out of my room. He seemed dazed and tired. I don't know if he slept at all.

I get ready for the day and shuffle out of the room, rubbing my eyes and yawning. I probably looked as tired as Diana always did. I head down to the cafeteria to get breakfast.

Chet wasn’t there when I entered. Everyone else as though and they all looked extremely tired. Like no one got any sleep last night. I go get my food and sit with the others.

“What are we going to do..?” Brittney mumbles sleepily. “That loser...has gone completely crazy. And...who knows what...he’s...” she falls asleep at the table. Blaire jabs her side and Brittney shots up again. “...Doing!” she says quickly.

“Did any of you sleep last night?” Diana asks us. Diana looked as tired as usual, so she probably slept well last night.

“I did,” I say. No one else answers.

She sighs softly and stands up. “Okay, you four are going to bed. It’s not healthy.” She makes Craig, Derek, Brittney, and Blaire stand up and ushers them off. 

Derek tried to cling to me, seemingly not wanting to go to his room alone. He Craig picked him up and carried him off instead. They all leave, going up to the rooms.

Monomi pops up. “Hello~!” she looks around. “Um...where is everyone?” she asks.

I look at her, scowling. “Everyone went back to sleep. Everything is falling apart, no thanks to you!” I snap irritably.

She sniffles. “I-I’m sorry I’m not a good teacher. I only came to tell everyone that I unlocked the basement,” she says.

“Just go back to Monokuma,” Diana says. “All you do is make everything worse.” Monomi leaves, crying.

Diana sighs softly. I had never seen her act like that, especially to Monomi. “Let’s go check out the new floor,” she tells me. I nod and the two of us head downstairs.

The basement’s floor and ceiling seemed to be made entirely of pipes. The walls were a cold, dirty stone. It was just a straight hallway. There was a door to our left labeled Boiler Room that we enter.

What we find inside was...a large boiler. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more. There was also a couple washing machines and dryers. This is probably how our clothes were being washed. I look back to the boiler. It was massive. Steam puffed out of it every so often, so I had no intentions of getting close to it. “There doesn’t seem to be anything of interest in here,” Diana says. I nod in agreement and the two of us leave.

Farther down the hall on the right was something called the Monokuma Mass Production Factory. “That’s a weird name...” I mumble. I push open the door and the two of us enter.

The first thing I noticed was the back wall was stacked tall with canisters of gasoline. Then I notice the massive machine popping out Monokuma plushies and carrying them away on a conveyer belt. That's probably what the gasoline was for. “What the hell..?” Diana says.

I walk over and grab one of them. “It’s just a toy,” I say. Monokuma pops out of a pile of them. I shriek and stumble back.

“Consider this my merchandise!” Monokuma says. “No one can get enough of a loveable mascot like me!”

I frown and drop the bear toy in my hand. “Let’s go, Diana,” I say. She nods and the two of us leave the room.

Farther down the hall was a room labeled Morgue. I look at Diana and the two of us slowly enter it. The room was freezing cold. It looked like an actual morgue. There were sixteen freezers along the back wall. Each was labeled with one of our names. I didn’t want to open them to see if anyone was really in there or not. Diana goes over the door for one of the living people, Blaire, and pulls it open.

Inside was one of her video cartridges. She picks it up and studies it. “It looks like this is from our first day of Hope’s Peak,” she says. “That's what the label says.”

I walk over. “When everyone wakes up, we can watch together,” I say.

Diana nods and slides it into her pocket for now. The other empty drawers hold nothing of use, so we leave.

There was a final door at the very end of the hall. It looked big and out of place. There was a keypad with a gattling gun pointed at it. I wasn’t about to try putting in any code...

Diana sighs softly and looks at me. “Let’s go hang out while the others sleep,” she says.

I nod and head back to the cafeteria with her. Diana and I spend time chatting and eating. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Diana...I’d really like to know how you got into psychology,” I say. “It seems like it’s something you should talk about with me.”

She looks at me and frowns softly. Then she sighs. “Okay...Okay, I’ll tell you. It started with my father. He didn’t have any interest in it. He was just...really sick. At first, it was just small stuff. Talking to himself. Forgetting things. Dropping stuff. But...But it got worse. Then one night, he attacked me with a knife. He...H-He tried to kill me. But he stopped. And that’s when Mom and I admitted him to a mental institution. I wanted to help him. So I started studying day and night. Reading anything I thought might help. He died about a year later. Jumped off the roof. But I didn’t stop. I didn't want anyone to ever suffer through something like that again. So I started helping people. I finished my studies and became a therapist. No one deserves to go through that kind of suffering.” She wipes her eyes with her jacket sleeve. “This...was his jacket. He had it for years. I took it...so he could be close to me...”

I hug Diana gently. I felt a bit bad for making her talk about something like that now. She hugs me back. She eventually lets go. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Diana.

Eventually, the others wake up. Except for Blaire. Brittney said something about her not feeling well, but it didn't sound like she had listened all too much to Blaire’s problems. Either that or she was just acting like it. I sigh softly. I go spend time with some of the others while Blaire sleeps. I decide to stick around with Brittney for now. I spend some time relaxing on the beach with Brittney. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Brittney, you never did tell me how your mom got you into cheerleading in the first place,” I say, 

“Is that so?” Brittney asks me, staring up at the sky from where she was laying.

“You did your mom made you,” I add soon.

“Then it sounds like I told you,” she replies. “Don't know what else you want.”

“Maybe like...a reason she would?” I ask softly.

Brittney frowns softly. “You want to know why..? Because my mom is the biggest fucking loser ever. Even more than my dad. She never let go of her bullshit from high school. She's always been a stuck up brat that just stares at pictures of herself from high school and cries.”

I look away uncomfortably. Things were getting heavy really fast.

“She's so pathetic that she lives through her teenage daughter. Except I'm better than her. I reached skill she could have never imagined! She wishes she could have been me! I'm everything she ever wanted to be and she damn well knows it!” Brittney snaps irritably.

I rub my arm lightly. It didn't sound like she was happy about an accomplishment like that. I don't think I would be either.

Brittney stands up. “I’m going inside. Talk to you later, loser...” She walks off.

I stayed where I was quietly, staring at the ground awkwardly. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Brittney!

I go off eventually to calm down and find Craig in the lounge. He was knitting a scarf and humming quietly to himself. I walk over to him and sit next to him. He looks at me then down at his scarf. “I c-can t-teach you,” he tells me.

I smile. “That sounds like fun!” I say. I spend time learning how to knit with Craig. The two of us grew a little closer today.

After he finishes, I look into his hood. All I could see was an inky blackness. I reach over to take it off but he grabs my wrist. His grip was tight. It actually hurt a little. “D-Don’t d-do that!” he warns.

I quickly tug my hand away. “Well tell me why you hide yourself,” I say.

Craig looks at me and sighs softly. “I...I-I have a sun a-allergy,” he says. “Sunlight m-makes my sk-skin b-burn and b-blister. I have ser-r-rious scarring from the b-burns...” he says softly.

I frown a bit. “Oh...why didn’t you say something?” I ask.

“I j-just...d-didn’t want y-you g-guys to feel b-bad for m-me...” he mutters.

I smile softly and hug him. “It’s better for you to tell us the truth, Craig. We’re all friends. And I won’t try to take off your hood anymore, okay?” I say.

Craig smiles under his hood and nods. “Th-Thanks.” I let go of him and head out. My handbook beeps. I gained all of the Hope Fragments for Craig!

I went to the restaurant to get some food. Blaire was in the restaurant and I quickly go off. I found Diana and took her to the restaurant.

When we got here, Diana was quick to give Blaire the cartridge. She takes it. “This...” she frowns softly and puts it into her camera. I get the others and everyone circles around to watch it.

The video begins with Blaire walking to the classroom. “I never made it that far,” she says. “I blacked out at the school gates...so we really did lose our memories...” she mutters softly.

We all watch as she greets everyone. Everyone...except for me. There was a boy in the class I didn't know either. He was short and blonde. A large green coat covered his body and a brown hat sat in his head that made me think of a poor kid. I never show up once though. And the video eventually ends. Everyone looks at me now.

“Zach, I didn’t see you in the video,” Brittney says. “How come?”

I look at them all. “I...I...” I sigh softly and try to calm down. Worthless. Talentless. They’ll all hate me.

“I’m from the Reserve Course,” I say. “I...don’t have a talent...”

They were all silent. The nighttime announcement plays and I take the opportunity to run off to my room and lock myself in. I sigh deeply and go to bed for the night after blocking off the vent in my room with a blanket.


	29. Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning. I wasn’t tired, but I still felt awful. I was afraid of what the others might think of me. What they might do to me. There was knocking at my door. I ignore it until it got too loud to ignore. I walk over and open it.

Diana was standing out there. “Zach, do you want to talk about it?” she asks me. Of course that’s what she wanted.

“No, I don’t need to. I know you guys already know I’m the traitor...” I mumble.

Diana quickly shakes her head. “No! No one thinks it’s you! We’re all just worried about you. You ran off last night and we all got worried.”

“Oh...you guys got worried..?” I ask her.

She nods. “Of course...you’re still our friend. Even if you don't have a talent,” she tells me. “No one hates you and we don't think any differently about you.”

I smile softly. Even if that was a lie...she cared enough to try. And that meant something. I hug her suddenly. She flushes a soft red and hugs me back. I hold it for a second before letting go. “Can we hang out?” I ask her. She nods. Diana and I head up to the cafe and relax with coffee for a while. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Diana, when we get out of here, what do you think you’ll do?” I ask her.

She looks at me and smiles. “I think I’ll just head home. Get back into the feel of things. Maybe get my own therapist. Trade tips. Get some help for the mental scarring I’ve suffered,” she says. Then she starts laughing a bit. I laugh too. “What about you?” she asks me.

I shrug a little. “I don't really have parents...or dreams...I have no idea what I’ll do with my life,” I say.

Diana hums softly. “How about you come home with me then? You can be my assistant!” she says, smiling.

I look up at her. “Really..? Well...that sounds like it could work!” I smile wide.

Diana smiles too. “Then it’s settled!” She stands up and shakes my hand. “You should go see the others now,” she tells me. I nod and get up, heading out. My handbook beeps. I gained all the Hope Fragments for Diana!

I find Blaire in the library. She was reading a book. She looks up at me and grins, shutting the book and walking over. “Zach, hey!” she says. She gets a bit too close to me. “Dude, you ran off yesterday and freaked us all out! To make up for it, you’re gonna spend some time with me!” Without much of a choice, I spend some time with Blaire. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Blaire was tinkering with her camera. “So is there a real reason you tape everything?” I ask her.

She looks up at me then down at her camera. “I just...don’t like the thought of losing my memories. It happens so often. Everyday and I...I can't stop it. Some stuff is too good to let go...” she mumbles. She seemed to get a bit distant. “Some people are too good to let go.” She returns to her tinkering. I couldn’t get her to tell me any more than that, so I ended up leaving. My handbook beeps. I gained a Hope Fragment for Blaire.

I find Brittney on the beach, relaxing in the shade with a pair of expensive looking sunglasses on. She glances at me as I walk over. “Oh, it’s you...I guess I don't hate you that much...sit down.” She pats the spot next to her and I sit like she asked. I some time hanging out with Brittney. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“...I never told you the kind of stuff my mom did to me to make me the perfect cheerleader, did I?” Brittney asks.

“Uh...no...not really,” I murmur. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know.

“We’d do exercises every day. If I didn't do them absolutely perfectly, I would do all of them all over again until I did. No rest, no food, no water. Couldn't even use the damn bathroom until it was perfect...” she says softly. “...then there were the diets. Or as I like to refer to them, the starvings. Little to no food every day for long periods of time for the perfect body. And don't even get me started on the physical punishments...”

I pull Brittney into a tight hug before she could go on.

“...uh...what are you doing..? I...I didn't say you could touch me, loser!” Brittney snaps.

“You just seemed like you needed a hug,” I say softly.

Brittney hesitates for a second before gently hugging me back. We hold it before she lets go and shoves me off. She stands up and huffs, dusting herself off. “This never happened, got it?!”

I look up at Brittney before smiling softly and standing, lightly pushing her. “Got it.”

Brittney cracks a smile and the two of us head inside. My handbook beeps. I gained all the Hope Fragments for Brittney!

When we get inside, Derek grabs our arms and drags us to the cafeteria without a word. The others were there, looking worried. They had a laptop with them from the Electronics Room and start playing a video when we enter. On the video was...Chet..?

“Hey there everyone!” Chet says. “I decided to play a little game with you all. It’s called ‘Find the Traitor!’ and you guys are the lucky contestants!” he says, grinning wide. “Head to my bedroom your very special game! Don't be late, or I might get angry.”

Diana stops the video and looks at us all worriedly. “What do you guys think he's doing..?” she asks softly.

I shake my head slowly. “I’m not sure...but it can't be good...”

We all head to Chet’s bedroom like he instructed. He had a note taped to his door.

‘Three of you who are not the traitor must go to the lobby. Everyone else can go inside Bret’s bedroom. Don't lie, I’ll know you did’ it read.

After a moment, Blaire, Brittney, and Derek all head down to the lobby to wait.

Me, Diana, and Craig all go to Bret’s bedroom. Another laptop was sitting there and it was opened with a video waiting. We watch it.

“So you three are the ones trusted the least,” the recording says. “If I wanted to guess I'd say...Zach, Diana, and Craig? I hope I'm right!”

I frown softly. So he already knew what was going on. He probably did a lot of secret planning with his brother.

“See, I know some...things...about everyone. About our memories. About what you are...but...I didn't care as long as I had Chris and Bret. Now they’re dead. And now I'm bored! So, I have set up a sociable game for all three of you down in the boiler room. Make sure the others go with but don't tell them why. You’ll ruin my big surprise! See you all soon...” the video ends there.

“What...What information can he possibly have?” Diana asks softly.

“It c-could be som-m-mething from the Final D-Dead Room,” Craig says.

“Whatever it is makes him think one of us is the traitor...” I murmur. “...let's go get the others and head down there now.”

The three of us head back to the lobby and get the other three who were waiting. All six of us head down to the boiler room without a word. Whatever it was Chet wanted, it would be a battle for us all.


	30. Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

Without another word about it, we all run down to the boiler room to deal with Chet.

We find the Boiler Room soon. It felt like it was one the wrong side of the hall though. Derek tries to open it. The door opens a small bit and no more, shutting again as he lets go.

Diana tries this time. Same result.

Blaire and Craig both try but nothing. I give it a shot. The door opens slightly more before shutting again.

Brittney shoves me out of the way. “I got this,” she says.

Brittney grabs the knob in both hands and puts her foot against the wall. She pulls with all of her might. Something inside the room crashes to the ground and the door swings open.

“Alright psycho loser, it’s time t--” the rooms explodes, cutting Brittney of and launching her across the hall. She hits the wall with a thud and crumbles to the floor limply.

Sprinklers turn on almost immediately while we all try to help Brittney back to her feet. Diana, Craig, and I run into the room as soon as the flames were smaller.

In the center of the room...was Chet. He was sprawled out on the ground, body half charred and three nails buried in his face. The body discovery announcement plays as we enter and see him. Diana puts her hand over her mouth. Craig quickly leaves the room. I stare down at him, silent. Chet Barns, the SHSL Luckster, was dead.

**Killing Hotel Life: Chapter 5 - Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under!**

Brittney walks in, led by Derek and Blaire. I walk over to Chet’s body. “Jesus Christ...” I mumble. Half of his face was scorched beyond recognition. His hair was singed but not completely burned away. The rest of his body fared no better against the onslaught of flame.

“Who the hell would do something like this?” Diana asks. I look at her

“The traitor. They were Chet’s target,” I tell her. I look back to the body and begin investigating. I had no choice.

The first thing I noticed was the room we were in. This wasn’t the boiler room like the label outside said. This was the Monokuma development factory or whatever it was called.

Three nails were buried in Chet’s face. Two in his forehead and one in...his eye. His body had been burnt horrifically by the flames. I notice he was laying in the remains of a chair. Probably destroyed in the blast. Burnt rope was near his hands and a gag seemed to be in his mouth.

He nails had come from a nail gun, which was now on the floor. It had been set on a small, stone podium that seems to be from the second floor and pointed at Chet. It was on the ground too. It seems to two had been glued together with industrial glue. I notice a rope tied to the doorknob, but it was burnt away. I couldn’t tell what it had been attached to though.

The gas canisters in the back of the room were mostly scrap metal now. They were clearly what had been used to blow the place up. I don’t find what could have ignited them though.

Craig walks over to me and gently tugs on my sleeve. “I-I want t-to g-go look in h-his room,” he says. I nod and head to Chet’s room with Craig.

Monomi pops up on our way there. “H-Have either of you seen it?!” she asks. She looked panicked.

“Seen what?” I ask her.

“Someone stole something very important from my room!” she says.

I frown. “When did you get a room?” I ask.

“M-Monokuma makes me sleep behind the washing machine...” she says in a whimper.

“Right...well...we haven't seen it,” I say.

“If you find it, please tell me!” She leaves again. I sigh softly and continue walking.

We get to Chet’s room. Monokuma had the door unlocked, so we get in easily. He had a mini fridge in his room full of snacks. He had some cards and dice and a dart board. Why couldn't I have this stuff?

The two of us begin looking around. I look under the pillow and pull out a pink notebook. Must be Monomi’s because a picture of her was on the front. I flip through it. It seemed to be her diary. There were doodles on every page and bad handwriting. Except...one passage was odd. It talked about when I tried getting into the Final Dead Room. How did Monomi know about that?

I set it down and go over to Craig. He was reading a note set out by Chet. It looks like he signed it with his name because I could see the letter ‘C’ next to Craig’s and, but he rest was covered.

“This s-says Ch-Chet has b-bomb set up in the boiler room. It...c-can only b-be stopped with the t-traitor’s handbook.” He looks up at me, worried. The two of us run off to the basement.

Once there, we warn the others and all six of us enter the actual boiler room. There was something strapped to the boiler with a timer ticking down made out of digital alarm clock. The clock was strapped to what looked like a large metal brick glued to the boiler, presumably the bomb. Wires went from the clock to the bomb to a scammer Chet had set up. Only thirty seconds left.

It has a Monokuma decal on it, so it was clear the bear had given it to Chet. I sigh softly and pull out my handbook. But...Craig was already at the scanner and using his handbook. It beeps. Nothing happens. “Aw...” Craig says softly.

“Craig, what--?” I begin, but the timer stops. And...it starts ringing. Chet had only strapped an alarm clock to the boiler.

“I-It’s...a clock..?” Derek says hesitantly.

Brittney slowly walks over and gently taps on the metal brick. “...he spray painted a wooden block.”

“Then this entire thing was just a fake!” Blaire says, starting to grin.

Everyone was happily reveling in heir safety. But I was looking at Craig. What was going on?

The trial announcement plays and all of us head to the elevator. It starts going down as we enter. The one who did this did it to protect us. I know it. But they still killed. And now we had to find out who it was. Because we were all in danger still, just like Chet wanted. The elevator stops and the doors open. It was time for the fifth class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head gore


	31. Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Killing Life Trial Part I

We all step into the trial room and take our usual spots. Bret and Chet’s pictures now stood with the rest. Bet’s photo had devil horns and a pitchfork. Chet’s had a halo and wings.

“So...does anyone have any alibis?” Diana asks. “I think we should start there.”

“I was with Brittney a few seconds before Derek found me,” I say.

Brittney nods. “So that means it wasn’t us you got that?!” she says. No one else had an alibi for the time since no one else answers.

“We should talk about the explosion,” Blaire says. “Because...it was clearly used to try and get rid of the evidence. But what ignited it?”

I actually had no idea. I hadn’t seen anything.

Brittney looks at Derek and puts a hand on her hip. She glares quietly.

Derek stares back at her. I wasn't really sure what they were doing until Derek started shivering. He rummages around in his coat and pulls a burnt and warped lighter out of his pocket.

“Found on floor,” he says softly.

That had to have been it. “How’d the k-killer t-time that?” Craig asks. “It went off as s-soon as we g-got the d-door open.”

I shrug. “We’ll figure it out if we keep going,” I say.

“I think whoever did this wanted answers from him,” Diana says. “He had been tied up and gagged. They were probably threatening him. I bet it had to do with that bomb you guys mentioned. The killer probably found out and ended up killing him when he wouldn’t answer,” she says.

“I don't know if that's it...” Brittney says softly.

I frown a little. Brittney had a point. That didn’t sound right. What was wrong with that? It sounded plausible. I needed to think.

_Who would Chet have been tied up like that?_

Whoever the killer was.

_Why would they do that?_

To interrogate him for the bomb information.

_Why would he be dead then?_

Because he wouldn't give the information.

_What could have stopped him from answering?_

The gag in his mouth.

My eyes light up. “I think I have an answer!” I shout.

“Woah, already?!” Derek asks.

“You said he was gagged,” I say to Diana. “But if the killer wanted answers, they wouldn’t have done that.”

She frowns a little bit, thinking. She nods slowly. “Yeah...Yeah, you’re right. But...then why kill him at all?” she asks. 

I didn't have an answer for that. Yet.

“I want to talk about what kept that door closed,” Brittney says. “I saw that rope but...what was it attached to?”

I try to think. It was connected to something in that room.

“Maybe it had been connected to Chet,” Blaire says. “Like...around the chair or something. Or maybe his neck. And that's why we couldn't open the door!”

“N-No, there would b-be be-bruising around his n-neck,” Craig interjects.

“Well what else in the room could they have been tied too? The gas canisters?” Diana says. “I heard the crash.”

“It was one crash, not a lot of them,” Brittney says. “And that was too heavy to be a gas canister.”

I try to think. Something in that room had the rope around it. Something sturdy and heavy.

“I think I know,” I say. “The nailgun...it was tied to the trigger of the nailgun! Whenever we opened the door, it fired a nail!”

“Nailgun would fall,” Derek counters.

”Derek, it’s really the only answer,” I say.

”Well you’re wrong!” he demands angrily.

It seems Derek wasn’t going to believe me so easily right now. I had to get him to accept the truth if we were going to move on with this. 

”Can’t be nailgun!”

”Woulda fallen off!”

”Not heavy enough!”

”But Derek, it was on the floor,” I say. “I don’t see how this is wrong.”

”Cause it is!”

”Explosion caused fall!”

”Nailgun couldn’t cause!

I saw it just then. The flaw in his logic. The way to end this. “Let me cut through those words!” I yell out. 

Derek yelps. “Wh-What?!”

“You’re right, the nailgun isn’t heavy enough to make such a bang. But if it was glued to the podium, I could be,” I reply. “The whole thing must have been heavy, and when Brittney out force on the door, it finally toppled over.”

“But...there’s no way the killer could set that up!” Blaire says. “There’s no other way out of the room!”

She was right. The only way out was the door and that was blocked off the trap. So that only meant one thing...something I wish wasn’t true.

“Then...that means Chet did it himself,” I say. “He set up the nailgun. He...He did it on purpose.”

Everyone was silent. I knew that had to be it. And I think the others did too.

“Chet did it...” Derek mumbles softly. “Who killed him?” he says, looking up at us.

“It had to be him, right?” Diana asks. “A suicide. That was it. He killed himself.” She seemed really panicked now. I think she was afraid of losing someone again, especially when no one wanted to do it in the first place.

“No, I don’t think so. He set it up so one of us would kill him. He relied on his luck for this plan to work. And I know it had to. So...whoever it was he wanted to kill him did it,” I say.

“Who did he want to kill him?!” Blaire asks.

The answer was pretty obvious. The one person he wanted to bring out. The one he wanted to reveal to all of us. “The traitor,” I say.

Diana shakes her head. “One of us...I refuse to believe one of us is the traitor!” she says.

I look at everyone. I wanted her to be right. I really did. But...I knew she wasn’t. One of us killed Chet and it was the traitor. My eyes stop on Craig. He was staring at me. “Y-You know who it i-is,” he says to me.

What did he mean by that? Did I know who it was? I frown a bit. The pieces were beginning to fit together. “Craig...you’re the traitor, aren’t you..?” I ask him softly. I felt my heart pounding. I didn’t want this to be the answer. But I knew it was. It had to be.

Craig nods. I could feel his smile. Big and friendly. “Yep. It w-was me!” he says.


	32. Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Killing Life Trial Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning in end notes!

Everyone looks at him with complete shock.

“Craig, what the hell are you talking about?!” Brittney demands angrily.

“I’m the tr-traitor,” he says calmly.

“He's lying!” Monomi says. We all look at her. She was no longer tied up to the ceiling, but was instead standing nearby, watching.

“N-No I'm n-not,” Craig replies calmly. “I'm the tr-traitor, so I m-must have k-killed Chet.”

“You’re...just going to open up to it..?” Blaire says softly.

Craig nods. “Mhmm.”

“So that note Chet wrote...it was for you, wasn't it? The one about the bomb?” I ask.

Craig nods again. “Yeah, it was for m-me. He kn-knew I was the tr-traitor.”

“No...” Diana says. “No! NO!” she gets louder. “I won’t believe it!” she yells. “I won’t!”

I look to her. “D-Diana?!” I say.

“Shut up!” she screams. “Shut up shut up shut up! It’s not Craig! It’s not anyone! There is no traitor so just shut up!”

“Diana...you know that’s not true!” I tell her. But she wasn’t listening.

“You’re wrong!” she screams loudly. Tears were streaming down her face. “Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong WRONG WRONG WRONG! I won’t believe it! I won’t believe Craig is the traitor!”

I had to show it to her. I had to prove it or she would never accept it. “Diana, there’s proof he did it!” I yell out.

“Shut your fucking mouth!” she screams in her panic.

“I found a journal--”

_“I won't listen to you!”_

“--Chet’s room that--”

_“You’re wrong, goddamn it!”_

“--stole from Monomi--”

_“No more!”_

“--that Craig wrote!” I yell out.

“Stop it!” Diana screams, hands over her ears. “Stop it already! I won’t believe Craig did it! Because...Because if you’re right, we’ll have to kill him! I don’t want to do this anymore! I can’t watch my friends die anymore! So just...STOP TALKING!”

“The journal is mine!” Monomi says quickly. “That was my journal!”

“Can you write?” Derek asks softly.

Monomi hesitates. “W-Well...”

“She c-can't,” Craig confirms.

“Diana, there was a passage in that journal,” I say. “One that was from our time in the Playhouses. I almost went into the Final Dead Room. But Craig stopped me. He talked me it of it. And the passage in there talked about it. No one but him would have known about that! So...that proves he wrote it. And that he’s the traitor...”

Diana was shaking. “I...I don’t...want to kill him...” she says weakly. “I can’t watch him die...I...I...” she breaks down into tears at her podium, falling to her knees.

I sigh softly. “Let’s go over the case...to make sure everything fits correctly...” I say.

“After Chet set up his fake bomb and the laptops, he went down to the basement. He switched the nameplates so we’d go to the wrong room and set off his trap. He tied a rope to the doorknob and the nailgun, which he glued to a stone podium. A nail fired whenever we tried to open the door. The nail that killed Chet was the one the killer caused to shoot out. It's hard to tell who was the one to set off the gasoline, but that happened after his death. He had the lighter lit and set up so the gasoline would reach the flame. When the killer hit him, he must have fallen back. One of the canisters got shot by the nailgun and gasoline poured out. When it reaches the lighter, the room exploded and the crime scene was completed. I think...that's what happened. That was the plan,” I explain. “And the one Chet wanted to kill him...was Craig.”

Blaire looks to Craig. “How could you..?” she says weakly. “You were our friend. We trusted you! So...So why..?”

Craig sighs softly. “I’m s-sorry,” he says. “I wanted t-to tell you g-guys. B-But due t-to my ex-x-xistance, I c-couldn’t.”

I look at him. His existence? What did that mean?

“Alright everyone!” Monokuma says. “It’s time to vote! Who’s the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?” With heavy hearts and shaky hands, everyone votes for Craig.

“That’s right!” Monokuma cheers. “Craig Pines, the SHSL Seamster, was the killer and your dirty double crosser!” He sighs softly. “This sucks too. Our last trial and it’s already over...”

I look at him. “The last one..? We’re getting out?!” I say.

“Of course!” Monokuma says. “It's about time we wrapped things up here. So, this will be our last class trial!”

“He n-needed me g-gone,” Craig says to us. “S-So it ends here.”

“But...But you’re the traitor,” Brittney says. “Why would he need you gone?!”

“Mm...th-there’s a phrase I kn-know...it g-goes...the enemy of y-your enemy is your fr-friend,” he says.

“But...World Enders...” Derek says softly.

“The F-Future Found-d-dation is on y-your side,” he replies.

“Craig, can't you tell us anything before you go?” I demand.

He seems to think for a moment. “...n-no. I c-can't. I'm sorr-rr-rry,” he says.

“Alright, enough of the sappy crap!” Monokuma shouts from his throne. “It’s time to get things g--!”

Monomi leaped at Monokuma, cutting him off and tackling him to the floor.

“I’ll stop you right here!” She says. “No more games! It's time for me to stand up for myself and my students! You won't kill anyone else!”

Monokuma screams and struggles. “No! Monomi, stop! We can talk about this! Come on, sis!” he screams.

“No more, Monokuma! You won't hurt my students anymore!” There’s a large flash as Monomi self-destructs, killing them both.

Two new ones appear and she tackles him again before anyone could react. “I’ll do this for whoever long it takes! I’ll destroy every single one of you! How many more can there be?! Ten?! Eleven?!” she says. And then they explode again.

I look to Craig as new ones pop up. “Run!” I scream.

Craig turns to run, but he stops.

A new Monokuma popped up behind him. Then two. Then ten. Then thirty. Soon I lose count. And a small army was there. We all stare in shock.

Monomi looks at them. “Wh-Wha..?!”

Monokuma kicks Monomi off of him, making her fall onto the floor. “That’s it!” the bear roars.

“H-How do you have so many?!” Diana shrieks.

“...the Monokuma mass production room,” I say. “They came from there.”

“B-But they were just toys!” she replies.

“Not when they had their Monokuma AI chips implanted! Now I have an army! Compared to Monomi’s twelve extras...I think I win!” the bear says. Then he glares at the cowering Monomi. “I just remembered something, Monomi...I’m an only child!” He grabs his hammer. “This is it class! The very last...PUNISHMENT TIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down.

Craig gently picks up Monomi and looks to all of us one last time. He reaches up and pulls down his hood. I couldn't see his face. It was a black blob my eyes couldn't focus on. But I felt like I was staring right st his face.

“Craig...wh-what..?” I ask softly in confusion.

“D-Don’t give up hope e-everyone! I b-believe in y-you!” he says. He gives a big, wide smile. I couldn't see it but I also could see it. I saw Craig's smile and I couldn't even register it. He pulls his hood back up.

I reach for Craig. Everyone did. We didn't want to lose him. But the chains shoot out and drag him and Monomi away. The screen drops down and we all turn to it.

**Craig Pines has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Craig sat down on a floor made of cloth. His arms were tied behind his back with a very thick looking yarn. Monomi’s extras sat on either side of him. All of them stared forward with extreme panic. None of them seemed very confident of the situation at hand.

Monokuma was in front of them and had a massive gun-like machine pointed at them. The inside of the barrel shines. Seemingly hundreds of tiny, sharp spikes shine from inside the barrel. He pushes a button on it and it fires. A group of sewing needles shoots out, flying right for Craig and the Monomi.

**Sew Long, Loser~!**

The sewing needles pelt one of the Monomi and shoot her back, tearing through the cloth wall with her. One stray needle manages to slice open Craig’s arm, cutting his hoodie and making him bleed. He visibly winced as he was it. But there was no tiger reaction from him. He was powering through.

Monokuma aims again and fires, throwing another Monomi through the wall. This one had been on the other side of the first Monomi, farther away from Craig. A large hole in the wall revealed nothing but an endless blackness on the other side. Nothing existed back there.

Monokuma aims at Craig and tries to fire. The gun jams, signaled with a loud click and a weak groan from the machine. Smoke pours sour if the barrel. Some of the needles must have gotten stuck in something. Monokuma growls and beats on the gun angrily. Craig jumps to his feet while Monokuma was distracted, making a run for it. He runs past the gun and to the other side of the room. The Monomi begin to follow him. There was a door he could get to! It was massive and seemed like the only way to exit the room. And he was almost there!

A massive pair of scissors shoot across the floor, tearing a hole across it entirely. A few Monomi fall through and disappear into the inky blackness below, being eaten up by the nothingness. Craig takes a few steps back, staring down into the hole that just took in the several of the Monomi.

Monokuma leaps onto his back, quickly tying a scarf around his neck like a noose. The scarf was attached to the ceiling. Craig struggles in his binds quickly. The scissors shoot across the other end of the floor, making it unstable. The yawns break. Craig grabs at the scarf, ignoring Monokuma. The scissors shoot across the left side of the floor and it falls away.

The Monomi fall down, disappearing into the darkness below with the rest that had followed before. Craig gives a short scream as he falls too. The scarf stops him with a loud snap. He is silenced. His hands fall to his sides limply and his head slumps to the left. His body sways back and forth slowly but there is no other movement from him. Monokuma grins from on top of him, chuckling silently and staring forward as he rocks along with Craig.

I felt sick. My head was pounding and my stomach was in knots. That image...I would never forget that image. Diana screams loudly, holding her head. “CRAAAAAIG!” Derek bursts into tears. Blaire hugs herself tightly, staring at the floor. “This is fucking lame...” Brittney says softly. I felt rage boiling up inside of me. I turn to Monokuma and charge at him, screaming.

I never got to him though. Diana grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Stop it! Just stop it! I don't want any more pointless deaths! Tomorrow we leave! Don’t die on me now!” she says.

I look to her. I felt my rage start to subside. I hug her tightly, shaking lightly. I knew she was right. This nightmare would finally be over.

Monokuma’s laughter fills the room but I ignore it. The five of us head out and go to our rooms for the night. We all mumbled a goodnight and head to bed. I tossed and turned for a while in the night, worried I wouldn't get some sleep.

I fall asleep eventually and the nightmares began like the usually do. With Stacy...

**Chapter 5: Hang Onto Hope For Despair Will Drag You Under! - Completed!**

Zach, ~~Chet~~ , ~~Bret~~ , Diana, ~~Ace~~ , ~~Ash~~ , Derek, ~~Leo~~ , ~~Tess~~ , ~~Chris~~ , Brittney, ~~Olivia~~ , ~~Karen~~ , Blaire, ~~Craig~~ , ~~Stacy~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neck gore/hanging


	33. Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun! - Daily Life Investigation Part I

**Daily Hotel Life - Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun!**

**ERROR!**

**ERROR!**

**ERROR!**

**RESETTING SYSTEM MEMRORY! PLEASE STANDBY!**

I stood in a bleak emptiness. Nothing was around me. That nothingness stretched on forever. I turn and there she was. Stacy stood behind me, eyes wide. Her hand was still missing and the cleaver still buried in her head. Blood dripped to the floor. “You could have saved us,” she croaks softly. “You could have saved us.” I shake my head and back up.

I turn to run, but Ace was there. Arrows still stuck out of him. “You let us die,” he sputters, blood spilling out of his mouth when he talks. I turn again. There was Karen, ice pick in her head. “Why did you let us die?” she says meekly.

I turn again. Ash was there, holding himself up on his arms next to his legs. “Did you hate us, darling?” he asks me.

“N-No!” I say weakly.

I turn again. Tess was there, head smashed in. Olivia stood next to her, neck opened and face stained with blood. “You didn’t save us,” Tess says

“We died because you did nothing!” Olivia mutters.

I shake my head. “No! That’s not true!”

I turn. There was Leo, covered in bite marks. His arm was missing along with half of his face. “You should have done something,” he snarls.

I turn again, now facing Chris with a hole in his torso. “But you didn’t,” he says. I felt tears streaming down my face.

I turn again and see the twins. Bret, his body managed and broken, and Chet, nails in his face and body still scorched to a charred black. “We only died because you did nothing,” they say in unison. “You’re worthless. You should have died for us.”

I back away from them. “Stop it!” I scream. “Shut up!” I bump into something and look up.

It was Craig, dangling from the ceiling. His head stared down at me at an impossible angle. “Z-Zach...” he says weakly. The others begin to surround us. “D-Don’t...blame y-yourself...” Craig says softly. “D-Don’t give up...” I look up at him.

“H...Huh..?” I say weakly as they others begin to close in on us.

“I-It’s...n-not your...fault...p-please...d-don't g-give up...” he says softly.

He...He was right. I couldn’t give up now. I couldn't! And then there was a loud banging. I wake up.

I shoot up quickly in my bed with a short yelp. Someone was knocking at my door. I rub my eyes and get out of bed, shuffling over to the door. I open it. “Yeah..?”

Craig was standing outside my door. “Oh, morning Craig,” I say. “Something important going in?” I step outside my room and he nods.

“C-Come to the r-restaurant. The v-video has m-more. C-Come on,” he says before walking off. I follow him down to the restaurant.

“Oh, there you are!” Diana says. “Glad we got you awake. There was more to Chet’s first video. We haven’t played it yet,” she says. 

I smile and walk over. “Thanks for waiting,” I say. She smiles too.

“Of course we waited, darling!” Ash says, handing me a rose. “Who wouldn’t wait for a beautiful face such as yours?” He smiles.

I blush a dark red but ignore the comment.

Diana starts up the video. “If you’re watching this now, then I assume the trial is over,” Chet says. “Since I’m dead, I guess my luck won't work. Because of that, I’ll be sure this video works for both the traitor and the others, depending on who survived the trial. See, my original plan was for the traitor to survive. So I hope you’re the one watching this!”

I frown. He wanted the traitor to survive? Why? “What a piece of shit!” Leo says angrily. He was fuming.

“What an absolute loser!” Brittney says, looking disgusted. “To think I ever felt bad for that piece of crap!”

“Quiet,” Karen says softly. “There’s more.”

“I learned a few things in that room,” Chet says. “The Final Dead Room. Stuff even Bret didn’t look at. I learned--” from here, the video dissolves into unintelligible static. “...of course, I couldn’t let you guys learn all that yet! So I tossed those files into the fireplace in the lounge after the trial.”

Derek frowns a bit. “Learn what?” he asks.

Blaire just shakes her head. “I have no idea...” she says softly.

The video keeps going. “There's a few other things too. We’re all--” again, the video dissolves into static for a bit. “...but there is a way out. A door down in the basement with a keypad. It has a code, one that I found in the Final Dead Room and destroyed. The code is ‘11037’. Use hat and you should be able to escape.”

11037\. I stand up. “I’ll go put the code in,” I say.

Chris nods. “You do that. We’ll stay here and tell ya if anything else important happens.” He wraps an arm around Chet’s shoulders, making the boy blush. Bret grumbles and looks away, crossing his arms. I smile softly and head down to the basement.

I walk over to the door and look at it. This place was really the way out, huh? Guess there was only one way to find out. I look at the gun nervously before punching the code into the keypad. I brace myself for the worst. There’s a click and the door pops open a bit. I sigh in relief and smile, quickly heading back upstairs.

“Guys, the door’s open!” I say. The others look at me.

“Do we can finally leave this nightmare?” Ace asks. He grins.

Stacy smiles sweetly. “That’s great news, sug!”

Olivia plays an excited rift on her guitar. “Let’s jam outta here!” she cheers.

I smile wide and we all head down to the basement.

We all stood in front of the door. “We’re almost home,” Tess says. “Almost out of this hell...” She smiles wide. She was ready.

“Once we get out of here, we’re having a party at my place,” Bret says. “That’s an order!” He grins. That was an order I’d love to follow.

“Me and Karen will provide the music!” Olivia says, wrapping an arm around Karen’s shoulders.

“I’ll make the best sweets you ever done seen!” Stacy says.

“L-Let’s get g-going then,” Craig says. I nod and pull open the door. Everyone walks in.

What I saw...was another trial ground. The walls seemed to move and shift around, as if they were alive.

“What the hell..?” I say softly. This couldn't be right. “What kind of bullshit is this?!” Brittney says. “This was supposed to be our way out!” She stomps her foot down into the ground angrily.

“Um...guys..?” Diana says softly. “Where did the others go..?” I look at her. Then around the room. I saw Derek, Brittney, Blaire, and Diana. But everyone else was gone.

“The...others...” Something was wrong with that. But...But what was it..? I felt light-headed. The room was spinning around me. And then it all goes black.

\---------

I wake up in an old classroom. I was sitting at a desk. It seemed like the room was normal. There was a note laying in front of me and I take it. It was poorly written, but it seemed I was supposed to go to the gym.

I get up and head out. I didn’t recognize this building, but it had an odd familiarity to me. I find the gym with absolutely no issues and head inside.

The others were waiting for me in the gym. “Zach!” Derek says, running over and giving me a hug. I smile softly and look at the others. “He was just worried,” Brittney says. “Little guy as crying his heart out.

Derek lets go of me, puffing his cheeks out at Brittney. I join the others. “So all of you got the note, too?” I ask.

They all nod. “This place feels really familiar,” Blaire says. “I wish I could remember why...” she frowns a bit and sighs.

“Ah, come on kiddies!” a voice says. “Can’t remember this place? You spent a whole two years here!” We all look to the stage and Monokuma pops up on the podium, waving to us all.

“It’s a shame. Our big finale set up in the place it all began and you can’t even appreciate it. Just to jog your memories, I’ll let you know where we are. This is the great, the late Hope’s Peak Academy!” he cheers happily.

I look around. This place looked like a run-down shithole. That’s probably why he called it late. Because it looked like this place died.

“That’s great and all,” Brittney says, “but why are we here? I thought we could leave.” Everyone yells out their agreement. We had been promised we would be getting out.

“You kids can’t graduate without a final exam!” Monokuma says. “That’d make me a terrible principal.” Why would that make him a terrible principal? I don’t think good ones orchestrate killing games. “So,” the bear continues, “I have hidden study material around the school. You will use it to find out the mysteries of your confinement and the condition of the world outside. Then we will have the final exam! So get studying everyone!” And with that, Monokuma leaves.

“I guess...we should go look around then,” Diana says. We all head out of the gym. When we step out, it seems we ended up on a new floor. No one brings that up and we go off to find the study material. This had to be the final stretch. The ending was near, I could feel it.


	34. Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun! - Daily Life Investigation Part II

I enter the Dojo first. I see the targets in the back. I frown a little bit. Ace would have loved this room. I shake the thought away. Now wasn’t the time. There was a manga on the ground and I pick it up. The title was The Biggest Most Terrible Most Despairful Event in Human History! With a name like that, I figured I’d have heard of it. But our memories were also wiped...

I read the manga. It talked about a war that had overtaken the world. There was no end goal. It's not for money or oil or land or anything. It’s a war being fought simply for the sake of war. This war had another name. It was simply called The Tragedy. It all started because of an event at Hope’s Peak called The Tragedy of Hope’s Peak. But this book didn’t go any deeper in that subject. I leave to find more.

I find another manga in the Biolab. The room was freezing and looked more like a morgue. This manga was titled The Tragedy of Hope’s Peak Academy! This one talked about two events that lead to The Tragedy. The first was another killing game. One between the student council. There were no survivors. The second was a mass suicide of the Reserve Course. There were only two survivors. I was one of them but who was the other? The book didn’t say. I leave to find more, feeling a growing pit in my stomach. One of two survivors...

I run into Diana in one of the classrooms. Monokuma was with her. “What are you doing here?” I ask Monokuma.

He looks up at me. “I got too lazy to make another manga, so I’m just spreading the word by mouth~!” he says. Of course he did.

I look to Diana. “So what did he have to say?” I ask her.

“Well,” she says, “he talked about this girl. Junko Enoshima. She was known as the SHSL Despair and was the one who started all of this. She began The Tragedy. She was in control of the first two killing games and was the inspiration for the third. She was even the one who caused the mass suicide of the Reserve Course with some lackey leading it.”

Junko Enoshima...a teenage girl....she was the cause of all of this? I frown. “When I find that bitch, I’ll kill her myself,” I say angrily.

Diana shakes her head. “Junko is already dead. She killed herself,” she tells me.

“Oh,” I say. “Well...alright then.” I murmur softly.

Diana nods and leaves. I look down at Monokuma before leaving too.

When I walk out, I find myself to be on a whole new floor. “What the hell..?” I look around a bit before leaving to investigate some more.

I was able to get into the Music Room. There was an email here. It just seemed to be...floating. It was weird but I read it anyway. It was between the Future Foundation and someone named Wayne Little and Makoto Naegi. The Future Foundation..? They were the ones who put us here. But...I don’t think they’re as bad as Monokuma wants us to believe. Craig said that himself. The email spoke about thirty students found and saved. Thirty, huh? Fifteen of them had to be us. I guess the rest were another class. I wonder what happened to them. But that number was off.

Apparently, these students were meant to be put in something called the Hope Restoration System. Weird name. There was nothing else here, so I leave.

I enter the Teacher’s Lounge. There was another weird email here between the same people. It seemed the Future Foundation was angry at Wayne and Makoto for saving a group called the Remnants of Despair.

Students influenced by Junko to be Despair. A total of 30 students were found and detained. The leaders of this group seemed to be named Izuru Kamukura and an unknown boy who followed Junko like a lamb. They were the most dangerous of them all from the sounds of it. “If you’re gonna save kids like that, I’d be mad too,” I mumble.

Blaire was here, I notice. She was recording everything. She was looking at a picture of an old man named Izuru Kamukura. “Is that the same one from the email?” I ask.

Blaire shakes her head. “That guy is the school founder. He’s long dead,” she tells me.

Weird how they’d have the same name. She heads out. I soon follow, only to find I’m on another floor. But everything was upside down for some reason.

I find Brittney while walking around. She seems on edge. “Something wrong?” I ask her. She looks at me. “I just...feel like something big will happen soon...”

I felt like that wasn’t a real thing. But I wasn’t going to tell her that. “Well, is it good or bad?” I ask. She shrugs. Yeah, that was helpful. I head off again.

I enter the Game Room. Everything was floating and it freaked me out a bit. There was another email here. More all about the Remnants of Despair and the Hope Restoration System. Seems they were supposed to be put into the machine to wash away their despair. Sounded like a good idea. But...wait a second. Could that mean..?

I shake my head and sigh. No. There was no way. I couldn’t think like that. I sigh and leave.

Once again, I end up on a new floor. I enter a laundry room. For some reason, I felt like this shouldn’t be here. There was a laptop sitting on one of the tables. This was info on the Hope Restoration System. It was created with the knowledge gathered by the SHSL Programmer, SHSL Therapist, SHSL Psychologist, and others. Did Diana have something to do with this? Or just her work? If she did, she probably didn’t remember. The point of this machine was to put hope into those that had lost it.

Two machines were set up to hold fifteen students in two different areas. One in a resort called Jabberwock Island and the other in an island hotel called Hotel Despurda. The students would go through computer simulations of these areas and regain their hope with two programs keeping watch of everything. I frown a bit. Hotel Despurda. That...was the hotel me and the others were at. That meant...That meant...none of this was real. This was all just a simulation.

I step away from the computer, my head spinning. There was no way. Everything we did. Everything we had to go through. All the time we spent with one another. None of it was real. None of it mattered! I felt a crushing weight on my chest. There was a bad taste in my mouth and everything was getting dark. This feeling. It was so heavy and thick. But familiar. This was the feeling of total and complete soul-crushing despair.

I felt myself get lost in it. It invaded me and began to take over. A scream rips out of my throat and suddenly everything snaps back to me. The weight on my chest goes away and I felt the floor return under my feet. The dizziness subsides and the terrible taste in my mouth disappears. I had to lean on the table and take deep breaths before leaving the room.

I was in yet another hallway. I enter the A/V Room. There was a massive, floating brick there. But honestly, this kind of stuff stopped being weird to me. I felt pretty ready to accept just about anything by this point. A few red lights appear on the brick and quickly scribble around, creating the outline of a girl. She looks at me and I jump back a little. Okay, maybe I wasn’t ready for everything.

“Hello,” she says. “My name is Alter Ego. You’re Zach, right?” she asks me. I nod softly.

She smiles. “Ah, good! I have a few things I need to tell you. But first, I want you to answer something for me. Are the Teacher and Observer with you? Their roles were to watch after you all. The Teacher made all the rules and was in charge. The Observer was meant to be one of you, a student. I need to know if they’re with you,” she says. Teacher and Observer, huh? I think I knew who they were.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “But neither of them made it.”

Alter Ego looked a bit upset by the news. “I was worried about that. Thank you for telling me. My purpose was to make sure everything went smoothly. I was to protect this world from everything. But...a powerful virus got into the system and shut me out. They took over with a teacher role, allowing them to make rules and control this world,” she says. I knew who that was too. She opens her mouth to say more, but Monokuma pops up.

“That’s it!” he says. “That’s all you get to know! No more talking to the magic brick or I’ll rip ya to shreds! I’ll come down on you. Tear you up. Slaughter you until you’re dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead...”

What was wrong with him? It seemed like Monokuma was broken or something. I feel my vision fade. The room around me disappears. I stood in a new room with another brick. This one had only a silhouette of a boy. “Hey, what’s going on?” I say. He doesn’t seem to hear me. “Um...I hope the person I want to speak to is here,” he says.

“I don't have long,” he tells me, “so I need to speak fast. Listen up, okay? I will introduce myself. My name is Makoto Naegi and...and I’m the reason you and your friends are here. Well, not just me. Wayne Little is with me and helped us. And I want to start by apologizing, for all of us. We’ve been forced to watch your killing game and this was never the intention. You were just supposed to collect Hope Shards and leave. When things got like this, we lost all control. We’re here to help. We’ll get you out. I also want to tell you about the code to the door. 11037. It’s very special to me. It was a message left to me by someone I care deeply about and it saved my life. I’m sorry if I don't get to show up for you personally. I can only go to one of the systems at a time. There is also a way for you and your friends to escape. An emergency kill switch. It’ll force a shutdown and you’ll all get out. You need at least half of the student to complete it and...” his voice trails off into more of that awful static.

Everything fades back and I’m with Monokuma and Alter Ego again. “...dead dead dead dead dead dead de--huh?” Monokuma blinks, looking around then up at me. “Hey, what was that just now?! Something weird happened!” he says.

I shrug. “I dunno. I’ve got stuff to do, so leave me alone.” I leave the room. Almost as soon as I did, an announcement plays.

“Good, it’s working,” Monokuma says on the old monitors. “Could all Students please report to the big red doors to begin their final exam?” I sigh and head off. The others were waiting for me and the five of us enter the red doors.

We walk down a long corridor together in silence. Now was not the time for talking. We all had to be ready for what was ahead. A bright light engulfs our vision, but it was gone as soon as it came. We were back in the trial grounds from earlier. The walls continued to shift. Bricks slide left and right, in and out, and even traded places with other bricks. Everyone walks over to their podiums. This was it. The final trial. The place where all the answers would become clear. There was no telling what would happen, but we had to be ready. It was time. The final trial has begun!


	35. Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun! - Final Trial Part I

Everyone stands at their podiums. The podiums that used to belong to the others no longer had pictures in their stands.

Monokuma was here again, but it seemed he would be participating with us. He was standing on a podium. “Since this is the final exam,” he says, “things will work a bit differently. You have two choices in front of you. Leave and repeat. If you pick leave, you can go home! If you pick repeat, then you will stay here and have fun in your hotel resort with me! Majority rules as always. So let’s begin!”

“Well the answer seems pretty obvious,” Brittney says. “Let’s vote and get the hell out of here! I'm done with this creepy loser and this bullshit!”

Diana frowns a bit. She shakes her head. “No, I have questions I want answered. Then we can vote,” she says. I nod in agreement.

“Fine, what should we start with?” Blaire asks. I try to think. What was a good choice

“Where are we?” Derek suggests.

I nod. “Good choice.” That was one mystery I had already answered myself.

“We...were in that hotel...” Brittney says after a moment, clearly in thought. “But after seeing this place...I don’t think that’s the right answer anymore.” The others nod softly. They all agreed.

“Nothing makes sense here,” Diana says. “Here doesn't seem to be any logic to his building or how it even exists.”

“I know where we are,” I say. “This school, the hotel, everything around us--”

“Is a computer simulation!” Monokuma says, cutting me off.

“H-Hey!” I say. The others looked shocked, to say the least.

“What do you mean by that?!” Brittney says. “There’s no way...this isn’t real...” she clearly didn’t believe what she was saying. “I won't believe a loser like you!”

“If...If this isn’t real, then why are we here?” Diana asks. “What’s the point of this place?” She looked extremely concerned.

I couldn’t blame her for that. “We’re in something called the Hope Restoration System,” I say. “A machine built to put hope in us all.”

“What does that even mean?” Blaire asks.

“Must be bad...” Derek murmurs softly, frowning.

“It must be bad to put us into something like this,” Brittney replies. “When I find the losers that stuffed us in here..

“But I don't understand why us!” Diana interjects. “Why would we need this?!”

I try to think. Why would we need to be put in here? There must be a reason, I just needed to figure it out.

_Who were the people that Hope’s Peak Academy picked up?_

Survivors of the Tragedy and the Remnants of Despair.

_Which one were we?_

We would have to be the survivors.

_Why are we here?_

Because we lost our hope.

_What would that make us?_

We would have to be...

“...The Remnants of Despair...” I say softly.

“What...What did you say..?” Diana asks me.

“...we’re the Remnants of Despair. Part of the 30 people that made the group. We’re here because we lost our hope and it had to be our back into us,” I say.

“What? No way!” Derek says.

“Stop...Stop with the crazy talk!” Brittney demands.

I frown a bit. “Think about it guys. Everything we’ve been shown. Everything we’ve learned. It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I say.

“I read something that went in depth on the Remnants of Despair,” Diana says softly. “They’re a group of students who were influenced by Junko’s despair. They did terrible things. They killed people, started wars, commuted terrorist attacks, and have harmed hundreds of millions of people across the world. All on the name of Despair...”

“That can’t seriously be us!” Blaire says. “I...I would never do something like that!” She swipes at her eyes. She was tearing up.

“Oh, but you all did!” Monokuma says. “In fact, I know everything you all did!”

We all look at him. Everything we did. I didn’t want to know what that would be.

Monokuma turns to Derek first. “Such a sweet and innocent boy. Amazing to think you caused the unavoidable debt of several countries and caused about four different wars. Amazing what can happen when a few documents go missing, huh?” The bear giggles into his paws.

Derek shakes his head slowly. “N-No...I couldn’t...”

He turns Blaire. “You and Tess were a team. Not only did you spread Despair through every news channel, but you were the information report for the Remnants of Despair. They had an upper hand thanks to you!”

“Y-You’re lying...” Blaire says weakly

He turns his gaze to Brittney. “You used your authoritative voice and immense popularity to spread the message of despair wherever you went. You drove people to madness with your cheers!”

“No loser could convince me to do something like that!” Brittney yells. “Cut the bull!”

Monokuma turns to Diana next. “At first, you liked to spread misinformation and use the things people told you against them. But you got a new idea. You started your own killing game!” he cheers, grinning wide. “And it was gruesome!”

Diana puts her hands over her mouth. “You’re lying,” she says weakly. “I would never put anyone through this...I couldn’t!”

Monokuma turns to me last. I feel my heart sink. “You were a useless, worthless, talentless waste of space,” Monokuma says. “There was no one in the Reserve Course with more despair than you. Junko plucked out of all of them to be her own little project! You were the one that led the mass suicide! You watched as they all killed themselves! You stood with Junko Enoshima and watched! And. You. Felt. Nothing!” Monokuma bursts into a crazed laughter.

He couldn't be telling the truth. There was no way. I felt sick. My stomach was in knots. I did something like that? I...I killed all those people..?

“So what does it mean?!” Brittney screams angrily. “That we’re all monsters? That everything we went through here was pointless?! We watched people die for nothing! That’s all I’m hearing! All the time we spent together! Everything we did with him! Pointless! Worthless! Every moment of it meant nothing! And what does that make him? Was he real? Was it ever real?!”

“No!” I say loudly. “Don’t think like that! Even if what we went through wasn’t reality, it still mattered! All of it, don’t ever forget that! It was real, including Craig!”

“Are they alive?” Derek asks softly, drying his eyes with his scarf.

“If this wasn't real, then they have to be!” Blaire says.

Monokuma giggles softly. “Not quite...” he says softly. We all look at him.

“See...the human mind is an amazing thing. If it looks real and feels real, your mind will think it’s real!” he says.

Diana frowns softly. “I know what he’s talking about...” she tells us. “When something feels like reality, our mind makes it reality. That's how things like placebo effects work. So...if everyone believed that they died...then...” she trails off.

Monokuma scribbles down on a paper and shows us. “Here is a diagram to show you your two options! If you pick repeat, your friends will stay dead. If you pick leave, your friends will be dead but alive! Great, isn’t it?”

Dead but alive? What did that mean? No, wait, I knew what that meant. Comatose. It meant that everyone was comatose. So they could be saved, right? Or was there nothing we could do?

“So what does it matter?” Blaire says. “Either way, our friends are dead...so who cares what we pick?” There had to be a better choice.

Brittney frowns softly. “Something’s coming, guys,” she says.

Monokuma looked really excited. “It’s the main cast!” he says. “They’re finally here!”

There’s a flash of light and we all shield our eyes. When the light fades, there was a boy. I felt like I knew him somehow. “Who are you?” Derek asks him.

He looks to Derek then to the rest of us. “I am Makoto Naegi of the Future Foundation. And I’m here to rescue all of you!” he says. “But you all need to do something first...you have to accept that you’re the Remnants of Despair!”

Everyone frowns angrily. “What the hell? That’s a load of bull!” Brittney says. “I won't listen to some pathetic loser like you!” Every cheers out an agreement.

“It can’t be true!” Diana protests. “There’s no way any of us would do stuff like that! Just hurry up and let us out of here! You’re here to save us, so please, save us!”

Makoto frowns. “You all deny the truth so wholeheartedly. To reject hope like this...how much despair is still inside of you all? Until you all accept hope, I cannot let any of you go!”

Something about this felt off. He felt different from the Makoto I met. But I was having trouble putting my finger on it. “This is wrong!” Derek whines. He fiddles nervously with his scarf. “I wanna go!” he demands.

Makoto frowns. “What is wrong with all of you? You all need to accept hope and come to the Future Foundation!” Wait a second...that’s it!

“You’re not the real Makoto, are you?” I ask. He looks at me, surprised. “What? Of course I am! Why would you say something like that?” he asks me.

“Because the real Makoto was in trouble with the Future Foundation!” I say. “They didn’t want us here! In fact, the Future Foundation was completely against it! Makoto wouldn’t ask us to join him and the Future Foundation because he knows they are against us!”

Makoto says nothing, but now Monokuma seemed angry. “What is wrong with all of you?!” the bears demands. “That’s the real Makoto!”

I look to the bear. He had been weird too. “You’ve been awful quiet since he got here. Someone trying to save us would ruin all of your plans. Instead, you’re just letting him help us!” I demand.

Monokuma growls angrily and stands up. “That’s the real Makoto Naegi and you have no proof against it!”

I look to ‘Makoto’. “Okay,” I say. “If you’re the real deal, then you’ll have no problem telling me what 11037 stands for, right?”

Makoto frowns. He looked nervous. “That uh...well I...” he sighs deeply. “Aw man,” he says in Monokuma’s voice. “They saw right through it! Why couldn’t it work this time either?! Oh well, old dogs and all that...” And with that, he disappears.

We all look to Monokuma, angry and annoyed. “Enough of your games!” Blaire snaps.

“It’s game over!” I say. “It’s time to reveal yourself!”

Monokuma tilts his head. “Game...over..? But that can't be! You guys haven’t even seen my final form yet!” he demands, panicked. Final form..? What the hell does that even mean?!

The earth begins to rumble and shake. Monokuma bursts into a wild laughter as the earth below him crumbles. The wall on his side breaks and cracks and falls away. The five of us watch in shock as the earth opens up Monokuma and he disappears. A platform begins to rise from the ground.

A girl stood on it. She couldn't be any older than us. Her blonde hair was tied into large ponytails on either side of her head. She wore something that I would assume to be fashionable. She had a wild grin on her face that sent a shiver down my spine. Who...Who was this..?

Her looks changed. There was an odd sense of authority from her now. “I apologize for my late arrival, but it appears you just couldn’t wait anymore. But now that I'm here, it’s time for a pop quiz! Does anyone know who I am? Anyone at all?” she looks around.

“I do...” Diana says softly, hands clasped over her chest. “You...are Junko Enoshima...the SHSL Despair...” she says in a terrified, hushed tone.

Junko laughs. “You got that right, bitches! I'm Junko fucking Enoshima, the one and only queen of despair!” she says. Did her personality just change? And...And this really Junko? I thought she died! But it seems that things were getting a whole lot more intense. And who knows what we were going to face next.


	36. Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun! - Final Trial Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

I still had trouble wrapping my head around this. We were staring down Junko Enoshima. But she was supposed to be dead. So...what did that make her? Craig had just been an AI in the program. Is that what she was? That had to be the answer. This Junko was a fake.

“Well peasants, it’s time for the real show to begin!” Junko says. What was with her? This was the third new personality she’s put on!

“I’m sure you’re all think ‘What? Junko again? Isn’t that getting old?’ Well, all I have to say to that is tough shit!”

“You’re the virus, aren’t you?” I ask. “The one Alter Ego mentioned! The one that got into the system and ruined everything!”

She laughs. It was a cold and chilling laugh. “Virus is such a meanie word,” she says in yet another personality. “I wanna be called an uninvited guest. It sounds much nicer, dontcha think?”

“Oh, screw off, you pathetic loser!” Brittney snaps. “We’ll call you whatever the hell we want, you fucking bitch!”

Junko suddenly seemed extremely depressed. Must be another personality. “Wow, that really hurts. To think you’d say something like that to me. You all used to be such good friends with me. And now you treat me like this,” she says.

“Sorry if we aren’t too happy to meet the one who made us murder each other,” Blaire says. “Not to mention our friends are just vegetables because of you!”

Junko looks up. “Oh, that reminds me,” she says. This personality seemed...normal for the most part. “There’s something I need to tell you guys. I've been working, like, super hard on something this whole time.”

“Working on what..?” Diana asks softly.

“A new program, silly!” Junko says. “I've gotten, like, super good with computers ever since I became an AI. I used to put my laptop in the microwave and nuke it before!”

“What program? What did you do?” I ask her.

Junko reaches out into the air and something appears in her hands. Junko held the paper from before with our options. But it was different now. “Your options have changed,” she says. “If you repeat, your friends will stay dead. But if you leave, they’ll all be alive again,” she says.

“But you said...” Derek trails off and frowns a bit.

“That they were all dead?” Junko asks, back to her first personality. “Quite correct. But I have finally gotten a program set up that will bring back your fallen friends. Leaving will bring them back to life.”

“That’s what you were working on..? But...But why..?” Blaire asks. “Why would you do that?!”

“Well because you’re my friends, silly!” Junko replies. “You guys are, like, totally awesome and stuff! Figured I'd give you all a little gift for being so great!”

“So...all we have to do is vote leave and we get our friends back?” Diana asks softly.

“Everything can be normal again...” Brittney murmurs.

We all look down at the pads in front of us. All we had to do was push leave. I reach out to make my choice.

“STOP!” Someone yells out. We all look towards the new person.

“Don't do it! If you do, her plan will succeed!” A boy says. I think I recognized him. He was Wayne Little. He was from one of the killing games.

Junko frowns a bit in disdain at the sight of him. “Great. A second rate hope made by a second rate despair.” She sounded disgusted, but what did that even mean?

“What plan are you talking about?” Brittney asks.

“A plan we’ve been trying to stop her from doing. But we’re here to help!” he demands.

Junko looks to us. “Oh...I guess I’ve been found out...but I know your plan too,” she says sadly. “How terrible. You put in all that effort just for it to fail...”

“Nothing has failed!” A new voice calls out. I look towards it. Someone else was here. Another boy. I recognized him too. This was Rick Dallas, one of the survivors from the other killing game. And...he was holding Monokuma?! There was a girl with him. Cassidy Wells, I think. She didn’t seem like the most pleasant person.

Junko didn't seem so happy to see them. “Ugh, so many fucking chumps are trying to get in my way! And you ruined my precious Monokuma! You’ll pay for that one!” she says in another personality.

Cassidy scowls in disgust. “So this is Junko Enoshima...” Her voice was cold. Emotionless. Was she always like that?

“Our plan hasn’t failed,” Wayne says. “But yours has!” I look between them and Junko. I felt like we got wrapped up in someone else’s battle. Like I was just a side character fading into the background.

“We needed at least half of the students here for it to work,” Rick says. “That's why the three of us are here as students. We can force a shutdown now!”

I look at Diana. She was staring at Rick, Wayne, and Cassidy. The three of them notice too. “You three...were in that other killing game...” she says softly. “The one I read about in that file. Junko said...she said I was in charge of a killing game. W-Was it yours?! Was she telling the truth?!” she cries out desperately.

Cassidy sighs deeply. Wayne frowns softly. “Diana...we forgive you, right Cass?” he says.

Cassidy rolls her eyes. “Don’t call me Cass,” she says.

He frowns. “Why do you always have to--?”

Diana screams and we all look at her. She was pulling on her hair.

“I’m a monster!” she shrieks. “I don’t deserve to leave this place!” She looked absolutely panicked. Completely broken

“D-Di, please calm down!” I say. “Don’t think like that!”

“What was your plan, Junko?” Blaire asks. “What plan failed?” Blaire seemed really worried.

Junko grins. “It was a wonderful plan, peasants! When you all left this place, I’d take over the bodies of the dead and use it to spread my despair! I’d create Junkoland! A place where you can despair as you please!” she says proudly.

“You mean...you weren’t going to bring back our friends..?” I say softly.

Junko laughs. “Of course not you dumb fucks! They’re total brain dead veggies! But I know everything about you guys and I can fake it pretty easily. Almost as good as the real thing!”

Once again, Junko reaches out and the paper appears in her hands again. Junko’s diagram had changed. “If you repeat, same deal! Dead friends, but now those three get to join us! If you leave, I take over your friends’ bodies for despair!”

Brittney frowns, hands clenching into fists. “What the fuck?! What kind of bullshit is that?!” she yells out. “Are you saying no matter what we do that psycho loser wins?

Wayne sighs. “Look, we can get you out! All you have to do is push both buttons at once and it’ll force an automatic shut down! We’ll all get out!”

Junko laughs a bit. “How about you tell them the rest of it?” she says.

Derek frowns. “The rest?” He looks to Rick, Wayne, and Cassidy.

Cassidy looks to the boys but they say nothing. She shakes her head. “When we shut it down, you’ll all lose your memories of your time here. You’ll revert back to being Despair.”

“We’ll forget?!” Blaire says. “No! No no no no! I’m not going to forget this! I won’t forget the time I spent with them! And I won’t forget him!” she says.

Of course. Craig. He wasn’t real after all. We’d forget all about him. I couldn’t let that happen. But still... “Guys, we can't let her win!” I say. Junko bursts into laughter.

“Oh Zach, please, come on! Don't act like you were any better!” Junko says abruptly. “Don't you know what you did while you were by my side? What your purpose was?” she asks.

I look at her. “What are you talking about..?” I ask softly.

She grins. “Why Zachary, you were the next in line for SHSL Despair! I saw something in you in the school could not! You were to be my underling and take my place were I to perish! You were my little project! More importantly, you were my boyfriend, Zachy-poo~!” she says.

I stare at her in disbelief. I knew I had worked for her but...but the next SHSL Despair..? Me?! I shake my head slowly. “N-No...No...that can’t--” I felt my voice catch in my throat. I remember something. Junko standing over me. I was bathed in blood...it wasn't mine. She offered her hand to me with a wide grin and...and I took it into my own. I start to shake. I put my hands on my head. “A-AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I scream loudly in a panic. “Stop it! Stop it! I don't want this! I don't want to do this!” I scream.

“I don’t care what you want!” Cassidy snaps at us. “You need to make the choice that helps everyone! The Tragedy is finally calming down! We can fight back! You can’t let Junko leave! If you do that, everything will go to waste!” She looked completely pissed.

Derek frown. “That’s not fair!” he demands.

Brittney scowls angrily. “What fucking choice is there?! She wins no matter what we do!”

It looked like a massive argument was going to break out before a voice cut through the air. “Are you really going to leave us here?”

Everyone looks towards the one who spoke. It...It was Tess. She was standing at her podium, notebook in had and her usual hungry look for knowledge in her eyes. For some reason, she seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

“T-Tess..?” Blaire says weakly. “I-Is that..really you..?”

“Of course it is, Blaire!” she says. “But...” she sighs deeply. “I’m so disappointed in you. The way you seem so ready to just leave me here...I thought we were partners...”

Tears start to flood into Blaire’s eyes. “We are! B-But...Junko...”

“What about her? Don't you want me to live?!” Tess demands angrily.

Tears start to trickle down Blaire’s face and she grabs the sides her her head, looking down. “St-Stop it!”

Tess disappears and a new voice speaks up. “And what about me, little buddy?” Chris says.

Derek whimpers softly as he looks at Chris, now standing at his podium. “I’m your best friend! You really just wanna leave me behind? Let me stay dead?”

“N-No...” Derek whimpers, starting to cry as well.

“So I guess I wasn't worth your help after all, huh, Diana..?” Olivia says softly at her podium.

“No, Olivia, that's not true!” Diana demands quickly. “We all care about you!”

“Are we all that worthless, Brittney?” Bret says softly.

“Are we all that easy to just abandon, Brittney?” Chet says afterward.

“Sh-Shut it!” Brittney demands. “Both of you, right now!”

“Zach, d-don't you c-care about us? D-Don't you want t-to save us?” Craig asks.

“O-Of course I do!” I demand. “B-But...”

“B-But what?!” he snaps. “Aren't we w-worth fighting f-for?! Aren't we worth li-living?!”

“Don't listen to them!” Rick demands. “They aren't real! It's all Junko! They’re not real!”

“Do we look fake, darling?” Ash asks us at his podium.

“We’re all real!” Ace demands. “We all want to live just as bad as you do!”

“Why won't you just help us?!” Stacy demands desperately. “Aren't we worth it?!”

“N...No more..!” Blaire says weakly. “I can't...I can't do this..! I don't want to forget anyone! Please, don't make me forget them!”

“Do you want to save us or not?!” Leo roars. “You fucks said you have a shit about us! So CHOOSE!”

“I-I don't want to die...p-please...” Karen asks softly.

“I c-can't let this loser win!” Brittney replies with a weak voice. She holds herself, squeezing her shoulders. “I-I don't want these losers to win...I don't...want this...”

“Then choose already!” Stacy demands. She looked grotesque now. She was rotting. Her hand was missing and there was a wound in her head. “Do it already!”

“Hurry up!” Chris yells. A massive hole was in his torso. I could smell the blood from here.

“This isn't fair!” Derek screams, cowering behind his podium with his hands over his ears. “Make it stop!”

“J-Just p-pick and it'll all en-n-nd!” Craig demands, his head slumped to the side at an awkward angle.

“Make this easier on yourselves!” Ace sputters, blood pouring out of his mouth as he speaks and several large wounds covering him. He looked like he was falling apart.

“Do what you know you have to!” Leo roars out, parts of his body missing and smelling of decay.

“W-We did this!” Diana screams in a panic. “This is all out fault! We don't deserve redemption! We’re all monsters!”

“Why do we all have to die?!” Bret screams, his body broken and mangled.

“And you all get to live?! Chet finishes, his body scorched and nails still in his face.

“Are we so worthless that we don't even get a second chance?” Olivia asks, her body a ghostly white and the slash in her throat clotted up.

“Please...I can't forget them...” Blaire begs. “I can't forget what happened here!”

“Maybe you just never cared about us...” Karen says softly, her head tilted to the side and a large wound in it.

“Or we just aren't as worthy as the rest of you,” Tess murmurs, her head smashed in completely.

“Th-The freak...can't win...we don't have a choice...” Brittney says weakly, tears trickling down her face. “I-I can't...”

“You mean you won't,” Ash says, holding himself up on his arms with his organs sitting under him.

“G-Guys, we can't listen to them!” I demand. “I-It's Junko, it has to be! She’s doing this! She's responsible for all of this!”

“How can you say that, Zachy-poo~?” Junko says in a cutesy voice. “I didn't simply appear in this place after all. I was brought here. Loaded in by someone who had access to the machine!”

“N-No...” I say weakly. “You...You can't possibly mean..!”

“Yay, you get it!” she says happily. “You and your friends are the ones that put me here!”

“That...That can't be...” I say weakly.

“Don’t be so naive. Besides, you think I’m the only one here?” she says

“What are you talking about..?” I ask. “Who else is here?!”

“I’m not exactly in control of your friends here. Never was,” she says. “Sure, I might have made up that Craig, but making all of them for this trial? Too much work, even for me!” She grins. “These other versions of your friends are part of the Junko Enoshima package! They’re the despair that lived in you all, managested into programs to help me along the way!”

Despair..? Help..? “So...you aren’t the only one in charge...” I say weakly.

All this time you thought I was the only mastermind!” she demands. “But really.”

Everyone flashes into existence again, filling the podiums with the dead bodies of our friends. “...WE WERE ALL THE MASTERMINDS!” they say in unison.

They all start to laugh. It was loud, crazed, Despair-filled laughter. My friends, the people I survived with, were screaming and crying loudly. And the people meant to rescue us were trying to pull us out of this. And Junko, standing at the front and watching everything, had a large grin on her face.

I look at my friends. Then my rescuers. Then Junko. Then down at my pad. My choices. Leave, repeat, or shutdown. If we stayed, we’d be stuck in this hell forever. If we left, Junko would win and take over everything. If we shut it down, we’d go back to being despair and probably die. I'd go back to being the next SHSL Despair. No matter what we picked, everything would end badly for us.

“We’re all monsters! We deserve to rot here!” Diana cries out loudly.

“I’m not going to forget my friends!” Blaire yells out desperately.

“It’s not fair!” Derek sobs.

“None of these choices are good enough!!” Brittney screams angrily

“You can't let Junko win!” Wayne says.

“Don't give up! It's not real!” Rick shouts.

“Stop being selfish and shut it down!” Cassidy snaps.

“SAVE US!” the others scream in unison at their podiums.

I stare down at my options and I make the realization that...I can’t choose. I can’t choose any of these. “I...I can't make a decision...” I say weakly.

”What are you saying..?” Wayne asks me softly.

”I said I can’t choose!” I yell out. My voice was shaky and I could feel the hot tears dripping down my face. “Hope...despair...I-I don’t care anymore! I don’t care about any of this! I can’t make choices like this! This isn’t a responsibility I can bear! I can’t choose between myself and my friends and the entire world! It’s not possible! So just leave me out of it!”

Junko sighs deeply. “Well, I saw this coming. With all the info I have on you guys, it was inevitable, even with all my tricks. But that's fine! We can live a happy hotel life forever as friends!” she says.

I felt my breathing hitch. A crushing weight was pushing down on me. There was a bad taste in my mouth. My stomach was in knots. Everything was starting to fade away. There was nothing but an empty, soul-crushing blackness left. Nothing but me...and my Despair...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Head gore  
> Chest gore  
> Neck gore


	37. Chapter 6: Hope Will Shine With the Rising Sun! - Final Trial Part III

The darkness surrounded me completely. It was suffocating me. I squeeze my eyes shut. I heard voices. Laughter. The sound of water was around me. I could breath again. I slowly open my eyes.

I was still at a podium. I was on a small island, but I could see the hotel in the background. The others stood in their podiums, smiling and laughing and talking. And they were completely okay. Usami sat on her throne.

“You did it, darling!” Ash says happily.

“Yo, we made it!” Olivia cheers out, playing her guitar. It sounded cheerful.

“Everything is okay!” the twins say in unison

“We...We can be happy,” Diana says softly, a dreamy smile on her face.

“I-It’s finally o-over!” Craig cheers.

“We should party to celebrate!” Chris says

“A party sounds like fun...” Karen says quietly with a tiny smile.

“Yay! Party!” Derek cheers.

“You losers are the only people I think I'd like to party with,” Brittney says, smiling

“I’ll provide the sweets!” Stacy offers.

“I’ll keep you company~” Ace says with a big grin.

“We’ll never forget these memories!” Blaire says.

“We’ll make them together,” Tess adds.

I look around at everyone. They seemed so happy. So safe. I grin wide. I start laughing. Tears start to slip down my cheeks. Why was I crying? I shouldn't be sad. So I must be happy! That’s it! I'm just happy! “I did it...I did it...I did it I did it I did it!” I wrap my arms around myself and laugh.

“Z-Zach,” Craig says, “it’s n-not real.” I look to him. Not real? What did he mean? I look back at the others. My smile falters. My laughing dies off. Not...real...it wasn’t real. They were dead. I watched almost all of them die. We were facing off against Junko. The world around me glitches and fades away, dying completely. I was left, floating in a black nothingness with Craig.

I dry my eyes. “Craig...Craig, I’m so sorry. I let you die. I couldn’t save you,” I say softly.

He shakes his head. “D-Don’t think l-like that, Z-Zach. Y-You’re the only on-n-ne that c-can save them,” he says to me.

I look up at him. “But all I am is a worthless waste of human life...I don’t have any way to do that...the only one who ever wanted me was Junko...” I tell him.

“N-No, d-don't doubt yourself Z-Zach! Don’t l-lose your h-hope! Y-You can save th-them all! Y-You’re worth m-more than you s-say! And y-your fr-friend want y-you m-more than J-Junko! Z-Zach, I kn-know you have a t-talent! One the s-school didn’t see! Y-You are...the SHSL Hero!” He says.

SHSL Hero...the SHSL Hero. I smile a little bit. I kind of liked that. It had a nice ring to it. Craig smiles wide under his hood. “But what do I do?” I ask softly.

Craig hums softly, thinking. “D-Do what you w-want. If you d-don’t like your ch-choices, make your own.”

Everything begins to fade away. “Craig, wait! I need to--!” I didn't get to finish. He was already gone and everything begins to return to me. The trial room, Junko, my friends, my saviors.

“No fair!” “We’re awful!” “This isn't a decision!” “I’m not going to forget them!” My friends kept yelling out their denial.

“You can’t give up like this!” Rick says.

“Don’t lose your hope!” Wayne calls out.

“You're all being selfish!” Cassidy snaps.

“YOU HAVE TO SAVE US!” the others wail.

“You’ll all be trapped here forever!” Junko cries out victoriously.

I frown. I felt something inside of me. The feeling of a powerful hope. I look up at everyone. “EVERYBODY BE QUIET!” I scream. They all stop talking. Even Junko stops and everyone who had died flickers out of their podiums.

“We’re not going to listen to anyone but ourselves!” I yell out. “Not Junko, not the Future Foundation, and certainly not these guys!” I gesture to the three that had shown up. “We’re in charge of our own destinies! It’s our choice what happens! We make the decision and no one can stop us!”

Junko frowns. “What the hell..?” she says. “What is this?! You...You should be full of Despair!” she demands. “Come on, Zachy-poo~! Where’s my sad little man at~?”

I look at her. “You’re wrong, Junko! I’m not the SHSL Despair! I am the SHSL Hero!” I shout.

She scowls in disgust. “Well...you aren't enough!” Junko says. “Your friends are still against--”

“So...we just push them together, right?” Diana asks, interrupting Junko.

Junko looks at her. “H-Huh..?”

I look at Diana too and smile. “Changed your mind?” I ask her.

Diana nods. “I saw something...it was my father. He's watching over me. He's there, keeping an eye on me. And I know what he'd want me to do. He'd want me to make my own future with my friends! And I'm not about to let him down!” she says.

Brittney smirks. “No way I'm going to let a bunch of pathetic losers choice for me! No matter the decision, I have the choice to make my own! No one gets to tell me what to pick! Not anymore!” she says.

Blaire nods softly. “I can't hold onto my memories forever. Living in the past will make for a terrible future. And I'm not about to do that to myself. I'm ready to move on and look towards a shining future of my creation!” she cheers.

Derek smiles happily. “I have friends!” he looks to all is us. “They need me...I’ll be there...in my future!” he cheers. “My future!” he demands. “Not anyone else’s!” He grins wider.

Junko looks furious. “Shut up! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” she yells out. “No more of your pathetic hope! Despair for your friends! Despair for your memories! Despair for your future!”

“No more despair!” I yell out at her. “It’s over Junko! You lose!”

“What...What is this?!” Junko yells. “This isn’t Despair! This isn’t even hope! What is it?!”

“It’s what we need. It’ll help us with our future. A future we make! We’re done being told what to do! We’re done taking orders from everyone! We’re in charge in our future and we’ll make it together!” I shout. “So it’s time to chose now!”

Everyone presses the two options together. Junko’s eyes widen and she screams. And then something begins to happen.

The podium under Junko lights up like someone turned it on. We could all feel a powerful force coming from it as a ray of light shoots up with enough energy to almost knocking everyone back.

Junko looks down as hands shoot out of it and grab onto her ankles. I recognized them. It was our friends. The ones who died. But they weren’t back on Junko’s side. It wasn’t the despair inside of us all. It was truly them this time and hey wanted this to end as badly as we did!

They grab at Junko and begin to pull. She starts sinking into the ground. “No! No! This can't be happening!” she wails. She looks up at all of us. Despair filled her eyes. A slow grin spreads across her face. “My plan as failed...I’m going to be deleted...the Despair is soul crushing. It's so...so...so delicious!” she bursts into a wild laughter as her torso begins sinking in, her body dragged farther and farther away.

“I won't have to hope for despair anymore! I’ll never have to again!” She gets to her neck. “It’s...all...hopeless...” Her head disappears from sight with those final words. A wall of light fires out of the ground and begins to envelope the world around us. I sigh in relief and walk over to the others.

Wayne looks to Cassidy. “Think they’ll be okay? You know what the others think about them, especially Diana,” he says to her.

She looks at us then to Wayne. “Yeah, I do. And you know how I feel about the others,” she says, crossing her arms.

Wayne smiles softly and nudges her with his elbow. “Not all of us,” he says slyly. She flushes a dark red and looks away.

Rick smirks and rolls his eyes, holding Monokuma tightly to his chest. “You two never change!”

The three leave soon, all smiling and disappearing from our sight.

I look at the others. They all seemed happy and hopeful. I smile softly

“So what’s going to happen to us with those losers gone?” Brittney asks.

I shrug a bit. “Whatever it is, we can push through. Together!” I say.

Diana hugs me tightly. “No matter what, we’ll be together,” she says before looking to the others.

Derek grins and nods happily. “Yeah! For sure!” he says happily.

Blaire laughs softly. “I could never forget you guys anyway,” she says.

The world around us fades and everything goes black.

\-----------------

I wake up in that blackness. There wasn’t a lot of room for me to move. A red light starts flashing. I could see something. I push on whatever was above me and a glass panel opens. A boy stood over me. He was short and had blonde hair under a brown hat. A large green coat hid his body from view. He gives a wide, Cheshire grin. “Guess you died!” he says.

I sit up slowly and he moves back. Four other pods were opened. The others I escaped with were getting up. Everyone else was still sleeping though. I look back at the boy and he continues to grin. “So...who are you..?” I ask softly.

He tilts his head. “Aw, don't remember me yet? That’s okay. I’m Richard Garland, the SHSL Liar!” he says.

I frown a little and slowly climb out. He was that other kid from their class. The one we didn't know. “I was supposed to be watching over you guys and uh...yeah, then that stuff with Junko happened,” he says. “Cassidy, Rick, and Wayne are leaving already, but I get to stay here with all of you! Isn't that cool?” he says. He had a wide grin on his face still. I frown a bit.

"Hey...you're not lying to me, are you?" I ask him. He blinks a bit.

“Y...You remember my tell..? Aw, Zach! You do remember me!" Richard grins and hugs me tightly.

My memories were slowly coming back to me. "Richard, what's really going on?" I ask him.

He frowns a little and looks down. "I...might have made a few AI to help you guys get back into being hopeful faster..." he says softly.

I frown again and shove him off of me. "Which ones?!" I demand.

He rubs the back of his head. "Just Craig...and uh...J-Junko might have been added from the AI she made...but it was an accident! I swear! I thought it was one of ours! It wasn’t me that put here in! Someone already added her and I kinda...let her in...”

I felt ready to punch him. He was responsible too!

"Please don't hurt me! I’m sorry, I mean it! You guys are my friends and I wouldn't do something like that! She took over and I called the others to help!" he yells. 

I nod slowly at that and relax a bit. "Fine...Fine, at least...it's over..." I say softly. I sigh deeply and look at everyone else. They had climbed out. Then I look at the closed pods. There were only ten. "Did Junko really delete them?" I ask.

Richard nods slowly. "She got so strong and...and I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you guys! But there is a chance they can be brought back!" he says.

I sigh deeply and look at Richard again. “You’ll help us wake the others. Right?” I ask him.

He nods. “Sure. They are my classmates after all. And I kind of helped cause this too,” he says.

I smile and the others join us. “Well then...let’s get to work!”


End file.
